S. intelligence sources indicate Iran retains approximately half of its missile launchers following extensive strikes. A large proportion of Iran's coastal defense cruise missiles, which allow it to threaten traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, are thought to remain intact.
Recent attacks demonstrate the ongoing regional conflict. Iran came under fire from Iranian missiles on Thursday, with nine impact sites in central Israel, and another incoming salvo arrived on Friday, with no immediate reports of casualties. An oil refinery in Kuwait was reportedly hit with an Iranian drone attack today, sparking fires at several of its units.
Overnight, Iran claimed to have shot down a second American F-35 fighter jet by forcing it to crash, with the pilot likely killed as a result, state media reported. S. and Israeli officials.
Israel estimated Iran to have had around 470 ballistic missile launchers at the beginning of the war, and last month claimed to have destroyed or disabled around 60 percent of them. S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on March 19 that the number of ballistic missiles and drones being launched by Iran were both down by 90 percent since the first days of the conflict.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CNN that Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks are down 90 percent, their navy is wiped out, two-thirds of their production facilities are damaged or destroyed, and the United States and Israel have overwhelming air dominance over Iran. S. officials suggest that much of Iran's missile capacity has been severely impacted, although General Dan Caine noted that some capabilities still exist.
Iran maintains substantial ballistic missile capabilities despite losses. According to an Israeli intelligence officer, Israel estimates that Iran still has over 1,000 ballistic missiles that can reach the country. Iran is believed to have had about 2,000 such missiles before the war, according to two senior Israeli officials.
Over 500 of these missiles have been fired at Israel during the war and others have been destroyed on the ground, according to the Israeli military. Iran possesses the largest stockpile of ballistic missiles in the region, with a self-imposed operational range of 2,000 km (1,240 miles), which allows them to target Israel. Iran's drone capabilities remain a critical component of its military strategy.
S. intelligence sources. Iran still has access to roughly half of its original drone stock, which would number well into the thousands, according to two of the sources.
Although the size of Tehran's remaining stockpile of drones is unclear, their sweeping deployment has become a critical element of the Iranian strategy for retaliation. The 83 percent figure reflects a decline in observed launch tempo — a behavior indicator, not evidence that Iran's drone capacity has been destroyed. The United States has deployed new drones based on captured Iranian technology in this conflict.
S. military's newest drone, the Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS). S.
Central Command confirmed that the new LUCAS drones were used in the strikes and has said more of them 'remain ready for employment' in Iran. The LUCAS drone is based on Iran's own low-cost one-way attack drone, the Shahed-136. S.
military, improved on and produced by a small company in Arizona, and is now being used against Iranian targets. Iran's missile infrastructure includes extensive underground facilities and incorporates foreign technology. Many missile sites are located around Tehran, including several underground 'missile cities' in various provinces.
Key missile types in Iran's arsenal include the Sejil, Emad, Ghadr, Shahab-3, Khorramshahr, and Hoveyzeh, with ranges varying up to 2,000 km. A recent report shows that Iran is building underground missile depots along with production facilities. The Iranian missile program incorporates designs from North Korea and Russia, supplemented by Chinese assistance.
As of June 2023, Iran disclosed an advanced hypersonic missile, significantly increasing their technological capabilities. The conflict has created significant economic and strategic impacts across the region. Strikes have increasingly targeted economic and industrial sites, raising fears of wider disruption to global energy supplies.
The attacks included 'American steel industries in Abu Dhabi, American aluminum industries in Bahrain, and the Rafael arms factories of the Zionist regime'.
S. and Israeli strikes. The Strait of Hormuz — a conduit for one-fifth of the world's oil — is effectively closed by Iran.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper convened around 40 countries to demand their 'immediate and unconditional' reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Recent strikes have hit civilian infrastructure with reported casualties. -Israeli strikes hit a bridge in the northern town of Karaj twice.
The first strike on the bridge caused civilian casualties and the second struck as emergency teams responded. Italy called for a humanitarian corridor to avert a food crisis in Africa. Iran has actively used its missile arsenal in recent regional conflicts.
Iran has actively used its missiles, including during a 12-day war with Israel in June 2025, during which it launched strikes that resulted in casualties and damage. S. S.
Al Udeid air base in Qatar, but no injuries occurred due to prior warnings. Additional missile strikes have targeted other locations, including militants in Iraq and Syria, and Iran has been accused of carrying out attacks on Saudi oil facilities. Iran-backed militias continue to pose threats across the region.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon is considered to have 8,000–10,000 rockets with the capacity to reach Israel, according to Israeli military radio. Iran and its proxies have continued trading fire with Israel and the United States, with military targets and civilian infrastructure across the Middle East coming under attack. Tehran has unleashed a wave of Shahed-136 drones across the Middle East as part of its response to Washington's Operation Epic Fury.
S. embassy in Saudi Arabia. S.
strike statistics reveal the scale of operations but battle damage assessment remains complex. S. S.
Central Command. Joint doctrine distinguishes three levels of battle damage assessment: physical damage assessment, functional damage assessment, and target system damage assessment. The 83 percent figure presented at the Pentagon briefing is not a battle damage assessment at any of the three levels.
The conflict occurs within a global context of rapidly evolving drone warfare. Iran, Russia, and Ukraine are ahead in the development and deployment of low-cost, increasingly autonomous drones for surveillance and strikes. Moscow has a daily target of producing up to 1,000 Geran-2 drones this year.
Washington could start churning out similar numbers of LUCAS drones in a matter of months, but only if it makes the necessary policy changes and investments. Leadership losses and the conflict's nature suggest a prolonged struggle. Many of Iran's leaders have also been wiped out, including the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Ali Larijani, who was head of the National Security Council.
The war in Iran could become an endurance contest between Trump and the Tehran regime. Iranian missiles and drones have been attacking important energy facilities and other sites in Gulf countries and the Middle East for nearly three weeks since the conflict began on February 28. S.
and Israeli forces. S. and Israel, but this task could be very challenging.
Despite claims from Iranian sources that their stockpile has not diminished, ongoing military actions against their infrastructure might affect their ability to maintain missile supplies. Currently, while the frequency of Iranian strikes has decreased, attacks on energy facilities and other strategic sites persist. Several critical unknowns remain about Iran's military capacity and the conflict's human cost.
The exact current size of Iran's remaining stockpile of drones and ballistic missiles has not been confirmed. Casualty figures from recent strikes on both sides, including civilian deaths, remain unclear. -Israeli strikes is still being assessed.