US can only confirm about a third of Iran’s missile arsenal destroyed, sources say — Reuters

The United States can only determine with certainty that it has destroyed about a third of Iran’s vast missile arsenal as the US-Israeli war on the country nears its one-month mark, five people familiar with the US intelligence tell Reuters.

The status of around another third is less clear but bombings likely damaged, destroyed or buried those missiles in underground tunnels and bunkers, four of the sources say. The sources speak on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the information.

One of the sources says the intelligence was similar for Iran’s drone capability, saying there was some degree of certainty about a third having been destroyed.

The assessment, which has not been previously reported, shows that while most of Iran’s missiles are either destroyed or inaccessible, Tehran still has a significant missile inventory and may be able to recover some buried or damaged missiles once fighting stops.

The intelligence stands in contrast to US President Donald Trump’s public remarks yesterday that Iran has “very few rockets left”. He also appeared to acknowledge the threat from remaining Iranian missiles and drones to any future US operations to safeguard the economically vital Strait of Hormuz.

The Pentagon and White House do not immediately respond to requests for comment.

US strikes have hit more than 10,000 Iranian military targets as of Wednesday and, according to Central Command, have sunk 92 percent of the Iranian navy’s large vessels.

Still, Central Command has declined to state precisely how much of Iran’s missile or drone capability has been destroyed.

One source says part of the problem is determining how many Iranian missiles were stockpiled in underground bunkers before the war started. The US has not disclosed its estimate of the size of Iran’s pre-war missile stockpile.

One senior US official voices skepticism about the United States’ ability to accurately assess Iran’s missile capabilities, in part because it is unclear how many are underground and accessible in some way. “I don’t know if we’ll ever have an accurate number,” the official says.