Iran Resumes Ballistic Missile Production

Iran has resumed the production of ballistic missiles and other key weapons systems after U.S. and Israeli strikes.

According to Mako.co.il and CNN, citing U.S. and Israeli intelligence sources, Iran has already restarted part of its military production despite earlier claims that its defense industry had been nearly destroyed.

A senior Israeli official said Tehran has resumed limited production of “critical” weapons systems by using surviving components and restoring damaged production lines, as well as operating facilities that were not hit.

The restored production reportedly includes ballistic missiles, launchers, air-defense missiles, and drones. Iran is also bringing back into service missiles and launch systems that were stored in tunnels blocked during the conflict.

Israeli officials estimate that Iran could restore its offensive drone network within a few months. Assessments regarding missile production suggest that Tehran may be able to significantly increase production rates within about a year — or possibly even sooner.

According to CNN sources, the rapid recovery may have been supported by assistance from Russia and China, as well as by the fact that the impact of the U.S. and Israeli strikes was less destructive than initially expected.

According to CNN, China continued supplying Iran with components used in missile production, although U.S. sanctions and restrictions may have limited the scale of those deliveries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously stated that China was providing Iran with missile-production components. China’s Foreign Ministry rejected the accusation, calling it “baseless.”

Israeli military officials also admitted that some Iranian defense industry facilities suffered less damage than originally believed, while others were not damaged at all during the airstrikes.

In March, the U.S. military launched airstrikes on an Iranian ballistic missile production facility in the city of Karaj. The strikes disabled key workshops and assembly lines at the plant.

Iran also lost a key facility for producing solid-fuel rocket engines used in ballistic missiles in Shahrud.