Iran Resumes Missile Production Despite US Claims of Complete Destruction
Iran is rebuilding its ballistic missile capability using stored parts and underground sites, contradicting U.S. statements that the weapons infrastructure was largely eliminated.
According to recent intelligence, Iran has restarted production of ballistic missiles by repurposing stored components and operating in underground assembly sites, producing both liquid-fuel and solid-fuel variants. This development directly opposes the Trump administration’s portrayal of Operation Epic Fury as having obliterated Iran’s nuclear program and most of its conventional weapons infrastructure. U.S. officials previously asserted that 85% of Iran’s defense industrial base was destroyed, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the drone and missile programs as functionally eliminated.
The White House declined to refute the report but emphasized ongoing vigilance. President Trump has framed the situation as evidence of Iran’s weakness and used it to argue against ending the conflict, positioning the narrative as a political advantage ahead of the midterm elections.
Why it matters
It shows Iran’s missile capability may be recovering, undermining U.S. claims of decisive military success.
How this story developed
- Jul 20 U.S. and Iran intensify air strikes over Strait of Hormuz, diplomacy stalls
- Sep 6 He said Tehran’s response to US strikes would no longer be “proportionate”, adding that “the Americans have surely realised that the era of ‘proportionate responses’ has come to an end”.
- Sep 7 Iran claimed to have hit an unmanned U.S. vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, which the U.S. dismissed as false.
- Sep 8 The U.S. Treasury announced sanctions on 27 Iranian airlines, including Mahan Air, and on foreign firms that helped procure U.S. aircraft parts.
- Sep 8 Iran announced it will double the price of fuel consumed beyond its quota.
- Sep 8 Iran’s Fars news agency reported an explosion heard in the southern Jask area off the Gulf of Oman and east of the Strait of Hormuz.
- Sep 8 The Treasury added 27 previously unsanctioned Iranian airlines to the list.
- Sep 9 The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it will soon publish coordinates for a new restricted sea zone stretching from Chabahar into the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, affecting vessels that enter or later attempt the Strait of Hormuz.
- Sep 9 Brent futures rose above $100 a barrel on Wednesday, driven by escalating attacks in the Middle East that have tightened oil supplies.
- Sep 9 The IAEA board voted to refer Iran to the UN Security Council.
- Sep 10 UN Security Council scheduled a vote on extending the expert panel that assists the sanctions committee on Iran.
- Sep 10 Iran announced the zone will begin around Chabahar and cover parts of the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea.
- Sep 10 Trump warned of a possible strike at a midterm Republican gathering.
- Sep 10 Brent crude rose above $105 per barrel.
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