Recent U.S. intelligence evaluations reveal that Iran continues to possess substantial missile capabilities following more than a month of coordinated strikes by Israeli and American forces, with approximately half of its missile launchers remaining operational, according to three sources with knowledge of the intelligence reports who spoke with CNN on Friday.
The intelligence assessments, gathered in recent days, indicate that Iran maintains the ability to conduct regional attacks. One source described Iran’s remaining capabilities, stating: “They are still very much poised to wreak absolute havoc throughout the entire region.”
The remaining operational launchers likely include missile systems that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) concealed in underground facilities to protect them from aerial bombardment. Intelligence reports also revealed that a substantial portion of Iran’s coastal defense cruise missile systems remain undamaged, primarily because U.S. military operations have concentrated on Iran’s naval forces rather than the missile installations positioned along the coastline that could target vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
These intelligence findings differ significantly from recent public comments made by President Donald Trump, who stated during Wednesday evening’s national address that Iran’s “ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed, and their weapons factories and rocket launchers are being blown to pieces, very few of them left.”
Based on the most recent intelligence analysis, President Trump’s projection that the conflict could conclude within two to three weeks appears overly optimistic. “We can keep f**king them up, I don’t doubt it, but you’re out of your mind if you think this will be done in two weeks,” one intelligence source told CNN. During the early stages of the conflict, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that 75% of Iran’s missile launchers had been eliminated within the first week of operations.
Nevertheless, a Reuters investigation conducted three weeks later indicated that U.S. intelligence could only verify the destruction of roughly one-third of Iran’s missile stockpile. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell dismissed CNN’s reporting, describing it as “completely wrong.”
“The United States military has delivered a crippling series of blows to the Iranian regime,” Parnell said.
“We are far ahead of schedule on accomplishing our military objectives: destroy Iran’s missile arsenal, annihilate their Navy, destroy their terrorist proxies, and ensure Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon,” he added.
