According to US intelligence, Iran is quickly restoring missile bunkers and silos after being struck by American and Israeli bombs, and retains close to half their missile launchers along with thousands of drones.
Per US Central Command, the US has struck 12,300 targets in Iran since the start of Operation Epic Fury. One of the operation’s key goals, as stated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is the “severe diminishing” of Iran’s missile launch capability; the Pentagon and White House have celebrated the purported success of American strikes so far, with an emphasis on the reduction in Iranian missiles being fired, rather than what’s being destroyed.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said during a press briefing on March 19 that “ballistic missile attacks against our forces, down 90 percent since the start of the conflict, same with one-way attack UAVs, think kamikaze drones, down 90 percent.” And on Monday, he stated, “Yes, they will still shoot some missiles, but we will shoot them down. Of note, the last 24 hours saw the lowest number of enemy missiles and drones fired by Iran. They will go underground, but we will find them.”
However, the intelligence report also states the possibility that Iran is indeed keeping a large portion of their launchers in caves and bunkers underground that are inaccessible to airstrikes. Haaretz, the Israeli publication, reported that Iran is using bulldozers to retrieve missiles that are “corked” (buried) in such bunkers. They are also making use of decoy launch sites, which has made it difficult for US and Israeli intelligence to accurately assess the damage done to their missile capability.
Iran is currently firing 15 to 30 ballistic missiles and 50 to 100 one-way attack drones a day, according to a Western official. A large percentage of their coastal defense cruise missiles also remain intact, which is a key factor in allowing them to continue to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump officials have already acknowledged they can’t promise to reopen the Strait before ending the war, which Trump claims will occur in two to three weeks.
The intelligence report comes as Trump extended his 10-day deadline for Iran, threatening to bomb the nation’s infrastructure on Tuesday if the Strait remains closed.
Ioannis Vlahos is an editorial assistant and writer for AntiWar.com. He studies history and journalism at George Mason University. Contact: ivlahos93@gmail.com.
