NYT: Iran Retains Most Ballistic Missiles and 40% of Drones Despite War

Iran has managed to keep about 40% of its prewar strike drone arsenal.

Although U.S. warships have been effective at shooting them down, these drones still pose a threat to commercial tankers that lack their own defenses, The New York Times reports, citing U.S. intelligence.

By the time the ceasefire took effect, Iran still had access to roughly half of its missile launchers.

After the ceasefire began, Iranian forces started retrieving around 100 additional systems from fortified bunkers. This made it possible to restore the number of available launchers to about 60% of pre-war levels.

According to estimates by U.S. officials, Iran is also actively digging out missile stockpiles that were buried under rubble as a result of strikes on warehouses and depots.

After completing this work, the country will be able to restore up to 70% of its ballistic missile arsenal.

Ongoing threat from Iranian missiles and drones

Although estimates of weapons stockpiles are not entirely precise, intelligence assessments agree that the available resources are sufficient to fully block shipping in the Strait of Hormuz in the future.