In the latest development regarding the impact of the strikes that have hit the Iranian regime’s missile arsenal since the start of the war on 28 February, Washington revealed that about a third of Iran’s missile arsenal has been destroyed.
A Reuters report, citing five US intelligence officials, said Washington is fully confident that about a third of the Iranian regime’s missile arsenal has been destroyed so far.
Number of Iranian missiles before the war
According to the British news agency’s report, the status of another roughly one-third of the Iranian regime’s missile arsenal remains unclear, but the recent attacks may have damaged or destroyed it, or left it buried in tunnels and underground facilities.
A US official said estimates related to Iranian drones show a similar picture to its missile capabilities, and that it can be said with reasonable confidence that about one-third of Iran’s drone capabilities have been lost.
Reuters added, citing these intelligence sources, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, that despite the destruction or loss of a large portion of the Iranian regime’s missiles, Tehran still retains a large reserve and may be able, after the war ends, to retrieve some of the damaged or buried missiles.
The report quoted an informed source as saying that one of the main challenges in making these estimates is the lack of clarity over how many missiles Iran had stored underground before the outbreak of the war, while the United States has not published its own estimates of the size of Iran’s pre-war missile arsenal.
So far, US Central Command (CENTCOM) has not precisely determined the scale of the missile and drone capabilities Iran lost during the attacks, and Israel has also not yet made precise statements about the number of missiles Iran still possesses.
Israeli military officials, according to the Reuters report, say that before the war Iran possessed about 2,500 ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israel.
Missile and drone attacks down by 90%
A senior Israeli military official said that more than 335 missile launchers had been “neutralized,” representing 70% of the Iranian regime’s launch capability.
Reuters noted that Israeli officials acknowledged in closed-door meetings that destroying the remaining 30% of the arsenal would be more difficult.
A Pentagon official told Reuters in an interview that Iranian missile and drone attacks have declined by about 90% since the start of the ongoing war.
He added that US Central Command (CENTCOM) had targeted more than 66% of Iran’s missile and drone production centers and maritime equipment, including shipbuilding facilities, destroying them or inflicting severe damage on them.
Iran’s missile program has always been a central point of contention in negotiations between Tehran and Washington, and Iran has so far not agreed to give it up.
Since the start of the US-Israeli-Iranian war, Iran has targeted 12 other countries with its missiles, in addition to Israel and US bases in the region, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, Iraq, Oman, and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
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