US intelligence: Iran may still hold up to 2,500 missiles
US intelligence estimates Iran has between 1,500 and 2,500 missiles despite American and Israeli strikes. An Israeli official says Tehran is rearming and preparing for a new conflict.
RastinewsUS officials told The Wall Street Journal that intelligence agencies estimate Iran holds between 1,500 and 2,500 missiles.
Officials described the estimate as "low confidence." It is difficult to determine how many of Iran's missiles are ready to launch and how many remain in storage. Still, officials say it is clear Tehran retains a large missile stockpile.
Israeli military officials offered a similar estimate. Israel believes Iran has more than 1,500 ballistic missiles.
"They're rearming"
US and Israeli strikes had hit Iran's missile stockpiles and production sites. But an Israeli official told the WSJ that Tehran is preparing for a new conflict.
"They're rebuilding, they're rearming," the official said.
Simone Ledeen, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East during Trump's first term, noted that even the lowest estimate carries significant weight. According to Ledeen, 1,500 missiles means Iran has replenished more than half of its pre-war stockpile.
The WSJ noted that this picture contradicts the Trump administration's statements that Iran's military had been crushed.
Strike on Bahrain hours after the report
The report was published hours before Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it had targeted a US base in Bahrain. The IRGC said it struck a radar system at the base.
Iran unveiled a new underground "missile city" last week. A Western official told Bloomberg at the time that Iran still had at least 1,700 ballistic missiles and was producing up to 50 new missiles a month.