US Intel Says Iran Retains Most Missile Sites

Classified US intelligence assessments reportedly show Iran has restored operational access to most of its missile infrastructure, including 30 of 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz. The findings contradict repeated public claims by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Iran’s military had been “crushed” following the US-Israeli campaign earlier this year. The reports also raised concerns over depleted US missile stockpiles. Make us preferred on Google Flip Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Women walk past a ballistic missile launch vehicle in Tehran on February 11, 2026, during a rally marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution. (Photo by AFP) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google Classified US intelligence assessments circulated in early May reportedly show that Iran retains substantial missile capabilities despite repeated claims by US President Donald Trump that Tehran’s military had been “decimated” during the recent US-Israeli campaign. According to The New York Times on Wednesday, May 13, Iran has restored operational access to 30 of the 33 missile sites it maintains along the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s daily oil supply passes. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . The report, citing people familiar with the classified assessments, said Iran also retained about 70 percent of its mobile missile launchers and roughly 70 percent of its prewar missile stockpile, including ballistic and cruise missiles. The intelligence assessments reportedly found that around 90 percent of Iran’s underground missile storage and launch facilities nationwide are now considered “partially or fully operational.” The findings sharply contrast with public statements made by Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following Operation Epic Fury, the joint US-Israeli military campaign launched on Feb. 28. On March 9, Trump told CBS News that Iran’s “missiles are down to a scatter” and claimed the country had “nothing left in a military sense.” Hegseth later said the operation had “decimated Iran’s military and rendered it combat-ineffective for years to come.” Other Topics of Interest Russian Strikes on US Companies in Ukraine Raise Targeting Concerns Russian strikes have hit facilities linked to major US companies in Ukraine, including Cargill, Coca-Cola, Boeing, Mondelez, Philip Morris, Bunge and Flex Ltd., according to the New York Times. Company representatives and business leaders have raised concerns with US officials that the attacks may be deliberate, while Washington has avoided publicly condemning the strikes disclosed by Ukraine this year. [Editors note: Although the term “decimated” actually refers to an ancient practice of reducing ineffective units by 10 percent within one sides own ranks, it is clear that both Trump and Hegseth are using the word to mean “devastated.”] According to the report, some senior US officials are particularly concerned that Iran’s restored missile infrastructure along the Strait of Hormuz could threaten American warships and commercial oil tankers operating in the region. The assessments reportedly indicate that Iran can still use mobile launchers stored inside missile facilities to relocate missiles or launch them directly from surviving launchpads. Only three missile sites along the strait were assessed as fully inaccessible. The report also highlighted concerns over US weapons stockpiles following the conflict. According to The New York Times, the US military expended roughly 1,100 long-range stealth cruise missiles, more than 1,000 Tomahawk missiles, and over 1,300 Patriot interceptor missiles during the war. The report said replenishing those stockpiles could take years. Lockheed Martin currently produces about 650 Patriot interceptors annually, though the company plans to increase production to 2,000 per year. White House spokesperson Olivia Wales rejected suggestions that Iran had rebuilt its military capabilities. “Iran’s military was crushed,” Wales said, according to the report, adding that anyone suggesting otherwise was “either delusional or a mouthpiece” for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez also criticized media coverage of the war. “It is so disgraceful that The New York Times and others are acting as public relations agents for the Iranian regime,” Valdez said in a statement cited by the newspaper. Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers on Tuesday that the US military still had “sufficient munitions” for current operations. The report said US military planners opted in some cases to seal entrances to Iran’s hardened underground missile facilities rather than fully destroy them because of limited stocks of bunker-busting munitions and concerns over preserving weapons reserves for potential future conflicts involving China or North Korea. On Tuesday the Pentagon said that the cost of the US-Iran conflict has risen to nearly $29 billion , highlighting the growing financial burden of the war as scrutiny intensifies in Congress. The updated figure, disclosed during a budget hearing on Capitol Hill, marks an increase of about $4 billion compared with the $25 billion estimate presented by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth just two weeks earlier. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization since 1995. Its international market reach of 97% outside of Ukraine makes it truly Ukraine’s Global – and most reliable – Voice.