Iran still launches missiles despite US and Israeli claims of destruction

Insights

• Iran continues missile and drone strikes weeks into the war despite a White House claim that its ballistic missile capacity was functionally destroyed.
• Pre-war estimates of Iran's missile inventory range from about 2,500 to as many as 6,000 according to Israeli and independent sources.
• Iran fields a diverse ballistic arsenal including Sejjil, Ghadr, Khorramshahr, Emad, Shahab-3 and Hoveyzeh with ranges around 1,300 to 2,000 kilometers and possible longer reach indicated by the Diego Garcia attempt.
• Ballistic missiles remain a potential nuclear delivery mechanism even though Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
• US and Israeli strikes and Iranian firing have degraded but not exhausted Iran's missile and drone capabilities, with underground storage sites and dispersed launch methods limiting the strikes' impact.
• Iran's drone stocks are large and easier to replace than missiles, while missile production estimates vary from roughly 300 a month pre-war to as low as about 40 a month now, making rapid replenishment uncertain.