US Intel Undercuts Trump's Claim, Finds Iran Missile Capability Largely Intact

Last Updated:May 13, 2026, 18:15 IST

Classified intelligence reviews compiled earlier this month indicate that Iran has restored significant operational capacity across its missile network, NYT reported.

US intelligence assessments have found that Iran’s missile capability remains largely intact, contradicting repeated claims by President Donald Trump and senior defence officials from his administration that the country’s military infrastructure had been severely degraded.

According to a report by The New York Times on Tuesday, classified intelligence reviews compiled earlier this month indicate that Iran has restored significant operational capacity across its missile network, including key sites, mobile launchers and underground facilities.

The assessments reportedly show that Iran has regained access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route through which nearly a fifth of the world’s oil passes. US officials believe only three sites remain fully inaccessible, while the rest are considered operational or partially functional.

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The intelligence further estimates that Iran retains roughly 70 per cent of its mobile missile launchers and about 70 per cent of its pre-war missile stockpile. This includes both ballistic missiles, capable of striking regional targets, and shorter-range cruise missiles used against land and maritime targets.

In addition, nearly 90 per cent of Iran’s underground missile storage and launch facilities across the country are now assessed to be partially or fully operational, based on satellite imagery and other surveillance data, according to the report.

The findings stand in contrast to public statements Trump and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had repeatedly called Iran’s military as “decimated" and “combat-ineffective" during Operation Epic Fury, the joint US-Israel military campaign launched on February 28 against Iran, which triggered the war.

News world US Intel Undercuts Trump's Claim, Finds Iran Missile Capability Largely Intact

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