American Estimates: Iran Retains Half of Its Missiles and 60% of Its Naval Power

SadaNews - American officials reported that Iran still retains a significant portion of its military capabilities, despite the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war and extensive military operations targeting thousands of military sites and infrastructure, amid estimates indicating its continued ability to threaten U.S. forces and its allies in the region.

According to reports from CBS News, citing several officials familiar with intelligence assessments, about half of Iran's stockpile of ballistic missiles and their launch systems remained intact until the beginning of the ceasefire in early April, while approximately 60% of the naval power of the Revolutionary Guard, including fast attack boats, remains operational.

The officials added that the Iranian Air Force "has been significantly damaged but has not been eliminated" as claimed by U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as it is believed that about two-thirds of its air capabilities are still operational, despite strikes targeting storage and production facilities and multiple military sites during the joint war.

In this context, Iranian boats attacked several commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, shortly after Trump announced the unilateral extension of the ceasefire to allow more time for negotiations, while maintaining the naval blockade imposed by Washington on Iranian ports.

Officials noted that U.S. forces have destroyed a large part of Iran's conventional navy, but the naval power of the Revolutionary Guard, designed for asymmetric warfare and relying on small boats, still partially exists and continues to affect shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials continued to claim that military operations have been successful, with Pentagon spokesman Shawn Barnell stating that "the U.S. military has delivered devastating strikes against the Iranian regime in less than 40 days", adding that over 13,000 targets were hit, and 92% of the larger vessels of the Iranian navy were destroyed, in addition to around 44 ships designated for mine laying.

Trump had stated that U.S. forces "destroyed the Iranian navy, its air force, and its commanders", while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the military operations, named "Epic Wrath", as a "historic and decisive military victory", considering it had "eliminated Iranian military capabilities and rendered them unable to fight for years".

Conversely, an assessment from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency indicated that Iran is still capable of inflicting harm, with General James Adams writing that "Iran retains thousands of missiles and offensive drones that can threaten U.S. forces and its allies across the region, despite the decline in its capabilities".