Iran restored access to most missile sites after US-Israel strikes – NYT

The reports also claimed that Iran still possesses roughly 70% of its prewar missile stockpile and mobile launch systems.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

US intelligence assessments reported Wednesday found that Iran has restored operational access to most of its missile infrastructure following the recent US-Israel campaign, challenging earlier public statements by President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth that the Iranian military had been severely crippled.

The assessments, according to the New York Times, stated that Iran regained access to 30 of 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz, restoring its ability to threaten regional shipping routes and US naval assets operating in the area.

Intelligence findings also concluded that about 90% of Iran’s underground missile storage and launch facilities remain “partially or fully operational” despite strikes carried out during Operation Epic Fury, the joint US-Israel military campaign launched on Feb. 28.

The reports also claimed that Iran still possesses roughly 70% of its prewar missile stockpile and mobile launch systems.

US intelligence assessments indicated that Tehran used the ceasefire period to rapidly repair and reposition military infrastructure, while some senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officials reportedly claimed rebuilding efforts were progressing faster than before the conflict.

The intelligence assessments were dated less than a month after Hegseth declared during an April 8 Pentagon news conference that Operation Epic Fury had “decimated Iran’s military and rendered it combat-ineffective for years to come.”

Trump also publicly described Iran’s missile capabilities as largely destroyed during the fighting. On March 9, 10 days into the war, Trump told CBS News that Iran’s “missiles are down to a scatter” and that the country had “nothing left in a military sense.”

The intelligence findings presented a more limited assessment of the damage inflicted on Iran’s military infrastructure, concluding that while missile facilities and launch systems sustained significant disruption during the campaign, much of the network remained recoverable and operational.

The assessments focused particularly on Iran’s strategic missile positions near the Strait of Hormuz, where restored launch capabilities continue to pose a threat to maritime traffic and regional military operations.

The reports indicated that Iran’s missile infrastructure was damaged during the campaign but retained substantial operational capacity after the ceasefire period.