Iran has up to 2,500 missiles despite US-Israel strikes, can target Washington allies if war resumes: Report

Detailed summary

The assessment appears to contradict earlier claims by the Donald Trump administration about the extent of damage inflicted on Iran's military capabilities. | World News

Iran has between 1,500 and 2,500 missiles in its arsenal despite months of US and Israeli strikes on its military infrastructure, according to a US intelligence assessment cited by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The stockpile gives Tehran significant capacity to target American and allied positions if the war escalates again.

US officials told the American daily the estimate is uncertain because it was difficult to know how many missiles Iran has ready to launch and how many are in storage. They, though, said Iran still had a large missile stockpile. Israeli military officials have also estimated that Iran has more than 1,500 ballistic missiles, although figures vary across the region.

Simone Ledeen, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defence for the Gulf during US President Donald Trump's first term, said even the lower estimate of 1,500 missiles would mean Iran had replenished more than half of its estimated pre-war stockpile. She said Iran had fully rebuilt its arsenal between the 12-day war in June 2025 and the beginning of the current war in February.

This assessment comes after claims by the Trump administration that Iran's military capabilities have been largely destroyed. Following Operation Epic Fury, the White House in April claimed that more than 85% of Iran's defence-industrial base had been destroyed and its ballistic missile arsenal and production capacity had been “razed”.

Despite damage to its missile-production facilities during the US-Israeli on Iran war, Tehran has continued rebuilding its arsenal, largely using components stored before the war. Its production is progressing at a slower pace than before the fighting, US officials said.

The country also retains a significant supply of drones and short-range missiles.

Iran has also continued to target US military installations, radar systems and early-warning infrastructure across the Gulf using ballistic missiles and drones.

Assessing the exact size of Iran's missile arsenal remains challenging…

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