Iran has begun to rebuild its military strength much faster than expected and is more prepared than ever for new attacks.
According to a special report by the American broadcaster CNN, four US intelligence sources confirmed that the pace of Iran’s military reconstruction is much faster than initial estimates.
The report further states that Iran’s ballistic missile, drone and air defense capabilities have not been completely destroyed, but a large part of them is still intact.
According to US intelligence, about two-thirds of Iranian missile launchers still exist, while Iran also has thousands of drones, which constitute about fifty percent of its total drone capacity.
According to the CNN report, US intelligence agencies have estimated that Iran is restoring its defense and military-industrial capacity much faster than expected.
The report states that Iran resumed limited drone production during the six-week ceasefire in early April and could fully restore its drone strike capability in just six months.
In addition, Iran is also rapidly restoring the ability to manufacture missile launchers, missile sites and key weapons that were damaged in the US and Israeli attacks.
According to sources, Iran also benefited from technical and industrial assistance from Russia and China in its recovery, while the US and Israel were not able to damage Iran’s military infrastructure as much as they had expected.
According to US intelligence, China continued to provide Iran with components that can be used in missile manufacturing during the war, although this practice has decreased after the US naval blockade.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu also claimed in recent days that China was providing Iran with missile components, however, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiaqun called these allegations baseless.
The slow recovery of combat capabilities suggests that Iran could still pose a major threat to US Gulf allies in the region if US President Donald Trump resumes military action against Iran.
It should be recalled that Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, told Congress that the US operation Operation Epic Fury destroyed 90 percent of Iran’s defense industrial infrastructure and that Iran would not be able to restore its capabilities for several years.
However, US intelligence reports do not match this claim. According to some intelligence sources, Iran’s defense industry has suffered a blow of at most a few months, not years, because many of its industrial centers are still operational and safe.
The report also states that a large part of Iran’s coastal defense cruise missiles were safe because the US air campaign focused mostly on internal military installations. These missiles are considered a threat to ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Overall, the position of US intelligence is that the war certainly weakened Iran’s military power but did not completely eliminate it, and Iran is managing to restore its military and industrial capabilities relatively quickly.