Media: U.S. Confirms Destruction of About One-Third of Iran’s Missile Stockpile; U.S. Forces Reportedly Fired Over 850 Tomahawk Missiles

According to Reuters, citing five sources familiar with U.S. intelligence, as the war between the U.S. and Israel against Iran approaches its fourth week, the United States can currently confirm only that about one-third of Iran’s vast missile stockpile has been destroyed. Another third of the missiles remain unaccounted for, but four sources said bombing likely damaged, destroyed, or buried them deep within underground tunnels and shelters.

One source stated that intelligence regarding Iran’s drone capabilities is similar, adding that there is reasonable confidence that about one-third of Iran’s drone capabilities have been destroyed.

This previously unreleased assessment report indicates that although most of Iran’s missiles have been destroyed or rendered inaccessible, Tehran still retains a substantial number of missiles in reserve—and once hostilities cease, they may be able to recover some buried or damaged ones.

This intelligence contrasts sharply with President Trump’s public remarks earlier Thursday, when he claimed Iran “has only a few rockets left.” He also appeared to acknowledge that remaining Iranian missiles and drones pose a threat to any future U.S. actions aimed at protecting vital economic waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz.

Previously, Reuters reported that Trump was considering whether to deploy U.S. forces near Iran’s coast, potentially escalating the conflict. Speaking during a televised cabinet meeting on Thursday, Trump said, “The issue with this strait is this: suppose we do well—say we intercept 99% of the missiles. But 1% loss is unacceptable because that 1% means one missile hits a vessel worth a billion dollars.”

A Pentagon official, when questioned about the matter, said missile and drone attacks from Iran had decreased by approximately 90% since the war began. The official also added that U.S. Central Command “has also disrupted or destroyed over 66% of Iran’s missiles, drones, and naval production facilities and shipyards.” The White House has not yet commented.

The Trump administration previously stated its goal is to weaken Tehran’s military power by sinking the Iranian navy, destroying its missile and drone capabilities, and ensuring Iran can never possess nuclear weapons.

U.S. Central Command claims the military operation codenamed “Epic Fury” is proceeding according to plan—and even ahead of schedule compared to the original plans set before the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28. As of Wednesday, U.S. airstrikes have hit more than 10,000 Iranian military targets, with U.S. Central Command stating that 92% of Iran’s large naval vessels have been sunk.

The U.S. military has released images of attacks on Iranian weapon production facilities, emphasizing that the targets were not only missile and drone stockpiles but also the industrial infrastructure producing these weapons. However, U.S. Central Command continues to withhold precise figures on how many missiles or drones Iran has actually lost.

One source noted that a key challenge lies in determining exactly how many missiles were stored in Iran’s underground shelters prior to the conflict. The U.S. has not disclosed its estimate of Iran’s pre-war missile inventory. Israeli military officials, however, said Iran possessed around 2,500 ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israel before the war.

A senior Israeli officer stated that over 335 missile launchers have been “destroyed,” accounting for 70% of Iran’s missile launch capacity. Israeli officials have not publicly revealed their current assessment of how many missiles Iran still possesses. Privately, they acknowledged that completely eliminating what they estimate to be the remaining 30% of Iran’s missile capability would be relatively difficult.

A senior U.S. official expressed skepticism about the U.S.’s ability to accurately assess Iran’s missile capabilities, partly due to uncertainty over how many missiles are buried underground and potentially accessible again. The official said, “I don’t know if we’ll ever get an accurate number.”

Additionally, according to informed sources cited by The Washington Post on Friday, U.S. forces have fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles during the four-week conflict with Iran. The rapid consumption of this precision-guided weaponry has shocked some Pentagon officials and sparked internal discussions about how to increase supplies.

White House Press Secretary Levitt, in a statement sent to Reuters, said: “The U.S. military has sufficient ammunition and weapon stocks to achieve the objectives of President Trump’s ‘Epic Fury’ operation—and even exceed them.”

Levitt’s statement further emphasized, “That said, President Trump remains deeply committed to strengthening U.S. military readiness. He will continue urging defense contractors to accelerate the production of American-made weapons, which are the best in the world.”

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1860830793629708/

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