Donald Trump kicked off his state visit to China with a furious meltdown after an embarrassing leaked US intelligence report revealed Iran has retained much of its missile capability.
America's spooks' assessment came despite months of US bombing raids and military strikes. The president lashed out on social media after a report in The New York Times cited classified intelligence assessments claiming Tehran has regained access to most of its missile launchers, storage sites and underground facilities.
Trump and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have repeatedly insisted Iran's military had been effectively destroyed following the launch of Operation Epic Fury, the joint US-Israeli offensive which began on February 28.
Earlier this month, Trump declared: "Iran is getting decimated. They have no navy. They have no air force. They have no anti-aircraft. They have no radar. They have no leaders." Weeks earlier, Hegseth claimed the operation had "decimated Iran's military and rendered it combat-ineffective for years to come." He has often repeated his boast.
But according to intelligence assessments, Iran has regained access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz, around 70% of its missile launchers and stockpile, and roughly 90% of its underground missile storage and launch facilities. The facilities were said to be either "partially or fully operational."
Trump reacted furiously to the report in a lengthy Truth Social post. "When the Fake News says that the Iranian enemy is doing well, militarily, against us, it's virtual TREASON in that it is such a false, and even preposterous, statement," the president wrote. "They are aiding and abetting the enemy! All it does is give Iran false hope when none should exist. These are American cowards that are rooting against our Country."
Trump then repeated claims that Iran's military infrastructure had been destroyed. "Iran had 159 ships in their Navy. Every single ship is now resting at the bottom of the sea," he continued. "They have no Navy, their Air Force is gone, all Technology is gone, their 'leaders' are no longer with us, and the Country is an Economic Disaster. Only Losers, Ingrates, and Fools are able to make a case against America."
The latest intelligence findings are not the first to contradict public statements from the White House. Earlier assessments found roughly half of Iran's missile launchers remained intact and that the country still retained access to thousands of attack drones.
One source familiar with the intelligence said: "They are still very much poised to wreak absolute havoc throughout the entire region." The Wall Street Journal later reported that Tehran continued to maintain access to thousands of ballistic missiles stored underground.
The reports sharply contrast with repeated boasts from Hegseth, who claimed Iran's missile programme had been rendered "almost completely ineffective" and that the country's air force had been "wiped out." Additional CIA analysis shared with policymakers earlier this month reportedly concluded Iran could withstand a US naval blockade for at least three to four months before suffering major economic hardship.
One US official said Iran's leadership appeared increasingly confident it could outlast Washington politically. "The leadership has gotten more radical, determined, and increasingly confident they can outlast US political will and sustain domestic repression to check any resistance inside Iran," the official said. "Comparatively, you see similar regimes lasting years under sustained embargoes and airpower-only wars."
Responding to criticism, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales insisted Iran's military had been "crushed militarily." "Their ballistic missiles are destroyed, their production facilities are dismantled, their navy is sunk, and their proxies are weakened," she said.
She also claimed Iran was losing £370 million a day as a result of the US blockade of Iranian ports. "The Iranian regime knows their current reality is not sustainable, and President Trump holds all the cards as negotiators work to make a deal," Wales added. "Anyone who thinks Iran has reconstituted its military is either delusional or a mouthpiece of the IRGC."
Acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez also condemned the reports, accusing the media of acting as "public relations agents for the Iranian regime."
