Islam Times - NYT: US Officials Say Iran Retains Significant Drone, Missile Capability Despite Strikes

NYT: US Officials Say Iran Retains Significant Drone, Missile Capability Despite Strikes

Islam Times - US intelligence and military officials said Iran retains a significant portion of its military arsenal despite weeks of US and Israeli strikes, maintaining a “powerful deterrent", The New York Times reported Saturday.

Iran retains “about 40 percent of its prewar arsenal of drones” and “upward of 60 percent of its missile launchers", according to assessments cited by the newspaper.

Officials said more than 100 launcher systems, which had been concealed in “caves and bunkers”, have been recovered since the start of a two-week ceasefire on April 8, suggesting that Iran is actively restoring its operational capacity.

They added that Iran is also working to retrieve missiles buried under rubble following strikes on depots and underground facilities, with some estimates indicating it could reclaim “as much as 70 percent of its prewar arsenal” once recovery efforts are completed.

Analysts said Tehran’s deterrence strategy increasingly relies on geography and asymmetric capabilities.