Classified US intelligence regarding Iran's current military strength from earlier this month suggests that Tehran has successfully restored operational access to the vast majority of its strategic missile infrastructure, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
Among other things, according to the report, the intelligence reveals that Iran has regained access to 30 of its 33 primary missile sites situated along the vital Strait of Hormuz. These facilities, equipped with mobile launchers, pose a direct threat to the more than 20 American warships currently enforcing the blockade in the waterway.
The classified data stands in direct contrast to assurances provided by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. In March, the President claimed that Iran's military had "nothing left," while Hegseth asserted in April that Operation Epic Fury had rendered the regime "combat-ineffective for years."
However, according to The New York Times, the intelligence paints a different picture, indicating that Iran retains 70 percent of its mobile launcher fleet, that roughly 70 percent of prewar ballistic and cruise missile inventories remain intact and that access has been restored to 90 percent of "partially or fully operational" underground storage and launch sites.
Olivia Wales, a White House spokeswoman, dismissed the findings, reiterating that the Iranian military has been "crushed" and suggesting that those questioning the administration's narrative are acting as mouthpieces for the IRGC.