“A social media post from the White House on March 14 claimed that 'Iran's ballistic missile capacity is functionally destroyed,' yet Iran continues to demonstrate that it still has at least some missile capacity 10 days on, with a number of strikes on Tuesday.”

“The missile launching capability has been degraded, but not exhausted. And that is significant”

“The attacks on Iranian military launch sites and stockpiles have had a reduced impact due to what she describes as an 'operational pivot' from Iran.”

“In the opening days of the war, Iran fired more than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones. Hit rate: below 5%. Defenses held. The barrage looked overwhelming. Most of it was stopped”

“Launch rates fell 90%+ over the following two weeks. Something counterintuitive happened: the hit rate started climbing. Iran was firing less, but hitting more often.”

“The Israeli military reportedly estimated it at about 2,500 pre-war, while some independent experts put the number at as many as 6,000.”

“Before the war, Iran had the largest and most diverse arsenal in the Middle East, according to the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence.”

“These included ballistics such as: Sejjil, Ghadr and Khorramshahr with 2,000-kilometer (1,242 miles) ranges, Emad (1,700 km), Shahab-3, (1,300 km) and Hoveyzeh 1,350 km.”

“Recent attempted strikes on the UK/US military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, nearly 4,000 km away from Iran, suggest Iran has missiles with a longer range than previously believed.”

“Ballistic missiles can be a delivery mechanism for nuclear weapons, though Tehran denies any intention to build nuclear bombs.”

“Iran appears to be capable of rebuilding. The Islamic Republic has established structures for rearmament, with 2021-25 data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute showing Iran is only responsible for 0.05% of global arms imports.”

“The question really is whether Iran can build them quickly enough to replace those lost through being fired or enemy destruction.”

“The US is spending approximately $1 billion (€0.86 billion) per day on the war in Iran and Powell said it's worth noting that the 'cost of the weapons systems required to destroy the drones is significantly larger than that of the drone itself.'”

“Drones are hugely significant to Iran's military strength. The relative cost of drones compared to other air assets allows Tehran to project military power and wider political influence across the region at a much-reduced cost.”

“The firing of many of those missiles in the last few weeks, and during the 2025 conflict with Israel, has reduced the stock, as have US-Israeli attacks on weapon-manufacturing sites.”

“Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini, spokesperson for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, told the state-run IRNA news agency that the country is producing missiles 'even during war conditions, which is amazing, and there is no particular problem in stockpiling.'”

“That is why and how we're seeing the IRGC continuing to launch attacks and to de facto have closed the Strait of Hormuz, the key point of leverage for the Iranian regime.”

“Estimates at the start of February put the number at around 80,000 Shahed drones, before adding that the accuracy of that figure is unclear and that it is difficult to ascertain how many have been used in the ongoing war.”

“Estimated capacity is around 10,000 Shahed drones per month in peace conditions, said Powell, who stressed that the impacts of the war on this number are currently not known.”

“There are at least five underground 'missile cities' in various Iranian provinces, including Kermanshah and Semnan, as well as near the Gulf region.”