More than a month into the war, roughly half of Iran’s missile launchers remain operational despite thousands of Israeli and American strikes, according to updated U.S. intelligence assessments reported by CNN Thursday night, a finding that contradicts public statements by President Trump.
The assessment, drawn from U.S. intelligence and three sources familiar with the matter, concludes that Iran’s launch capabilities remain significant. “It is still capable of causing destruction in the region,” one source told CNN.
The intelligence estimate may include launchers that are inaccessible — buried under rubble but not fully destroyed — a methodology that Israel disputes. Israeli military officials told CNN the share of operational launchers still functioning is closer to 25%, because Israel excludes launchers rendered inaccessible by strikes from its count. Israeli Cabinet ministers were separately briefed this week that Iran retains approximately 300 to 400 ballistic missiles overall, though the weapons remaining in Iran’s underground missile storage sites are proving extremely difficult to target.
Beyond launchers, the assessment found Iran still holds thousands of suicide drones — nearly half its original stockpile — and that a large portion of its cruise missile inventory remains intact. Cruise missiles are considered a primary tool Iran could use to threaten and disrupt commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has already fallen by roughly 90%.
The findings stand in direct contradiction with Trump’s public characterization of the campaign’s progress. In a speech Thursday, the president said Iran’s missile and drone capabilities had been “dramatically reduced,” adding that “their weapons factories and rocket launchers are being blown to pieces. Very few remain.”
One source pushed back on Trump’s stated expectation of ending the war within two to three weeks. “We can keep hitting them, I have no doubt about that, but you are completely crazy if you think this can be done in two weeks,” the source told CNN.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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3 Responses
Since when YWN ridership trust natzi,plo,ayatolla loving CNN???
This just proves with no uncertain doubt that this country had to be attacked. They are ungirdled and do whatever they want without concern. They needed to be decimated. This attack also likely put Kim on notice how he had better behave.
Since when is CNN a credible source of anything to do with Trump???