US can only confirm about third of Iran’s missile arsenal destroyed, sources say

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The United States can only determine with certainty that it has destroyed about a third of Iran’s missile arsenal as the US-Israeli war on the country nears its one-month mark, Reuters reports citing five people familiar with the US intelligence.

The status of around another third is less clear, but bombings likely damaged, destroyed or buried those missiles in underground tunnels and bunkers, four of the sources said. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity, given the sensitive nature of the information.

One of the sources said the intelligence was similar for Iran’s drone capability, saying there was some degree of certainty about a third having been destroyed. The assessment, which has not been previously reported, shows that while most of Iran’s missiles are either destroyed or inaccessible, Tehran still has a significant missile inventory and may be able to recover some buried or damaged missiles once fighting stops.

The intelligence stands in contrast to President Donald Trump’s public remarks on Thursday that Iran had “very few rockets left”. He also appeared to acknowledge the threat from remaining Iranian missiles and drones to any future U.S. operations to safeguard the economically vital Strait of Hormuz.

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