Iran retains missile, drone production capacity as Russia supplies Tehran

Following US strikes, President Donald Trump has described Iran’s military as “totally destroyed.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Iran’s weapons industry can continue producing drones and missiles after its military infrastructure came under attack during the war with the US, Bloomberg reported, citing officials who said key factories survived the bombing and Tehran can replenish its arsenals.

One official told Bloomberg that Iran still holds substantial stocks of ballistic missiles and could quickly replace anti-ship weapons.

Others characterized Tehran as “well-stocked” with both types of weapons and capable of “quickly add more.”

One of the officials also said Russia is supplying missiles to the Islamic regime.

Russia’s Defense Ministry did not respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment.

Those findings were challenged by the White House, which said US operations had inflicted far greater damage on Iran’s military capabilities.

Spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement that the attacks destroyed Iran’s ballistic missiles and the facilities that produced them, as well as its navy and nuclear sites.

President Donald Trump has described Iran’s military as “totally destroyed.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also said during a Sept. 30 speech that the US had eliminated the country’s military industrial capacity.

Trump said on social media Thursday that he would not order an attack against Iran before next month’s midterm elections.

Meanwhile, Maariv reported Saturday that the US had proposed a different course during talks with Israel over the past two weeks: an Israeli attack on Iran without American forces taking part.

According to the newspaper, Washington wanted Israel to undertake the operation as Iran rapidly rebuilt its capacity to manufacture ballistic missiles and drones. The proposal excluded both direct US involvement and a combined US-Israeli strike.

American officials sought to keep the political risks of renewed US military action away from Trump ahead of the midterm elections, Maariv reported.

Washington ultimately withdrew the request, according to the report. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir had warned US officials that an Israeli strike on Iran would most likely cause Israel’s elections to be postponed, according to a separate report by Barak Ravid.