What War with the US Reveals About Iran’s Weapons Capabilities

Tehran, Iran – Iran’s military is weighing how to counter the economic measures that Washington plans to impose in a bid to “bring down” the Tehran government. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump vowed to launch the “most brutal economic campaign” against Iran, featuring unprecedented sanctions and isolation.

Iranian commanders are reviewing a new military strategy to address fresh threats from the United States. “The only smart and effective solution to get through difficult historical phases and neutralize the plots of current and future enemies,” warned Ahmad Vahdi, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), on Friday.

Marking Iran’s Defense Industry Day on Saturday, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Ali Abdollahi praised a “deterrent defense industry revolution” in domestic weapons production. Yet, as was the case last year, Iranian officials did not unveil any new weaponry.

“We limit the disclosure of weapons and equipment to surprise the enemy and protect information and national defense secrets,” Defense Ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik told state media on Saturday. He asserted, however, that in the 12 months following the 12-day war with Israel and the United States in June 2025, Iran doubled its output of weapons and defense equipment.

Since the current war with the US and Israel began on February 28, production of certain “strategic and priority products” has more than tripled, Talaei-Nik claimed. He also said that more than 9,300 companies in Iran are involved in arms manufacturing, meaning US and Israeli airstrikes cannot destroy the sector.

Acting Defense Minister Majid Ebn-e Reza said on Friday that, compared to last year’s conflict, Iran’s armed forces have achieved deeper penetration into enemy bases, higher strike accuracy, and more successful air-defense intercepts. In any future war, the IRGC will deploy new warhead generations for its ballistic and cruise missiles, as production and development never stop, IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said on Thursday.

A ceasefire between the United States and Iran took effect on April 8, after nearly 40 days of intense bombing involving thousands of sorties. The White House said it destroyed more than 85% of Iran’s defense industrial facilities, including most ballistic missiles, mobile launchers, and long-range drones. Washington also reported that over 150 Iranian warships were destroyed, all submarines sunk, and 97% of the naval mine stockpile eliminated.

However, a classified US intelligence assessment reported by the press in May indicated that Iran retained about 75% of its mobile launchers and 70% of its pre-war missile inventory. Even after two additional weeks of heavy US bombing in July, the IRGC and regular Iranian military continued to launch missiles and drones at US bases and international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, albeit at a slower pace than early in the war.

Iranian commanders said the July US airstrikes signaled the potential for planning a ground campaign in southern Iran, and the military is ready to counter any such move by Washington. Experts suggest Iran continues producing weapons at geographically dispersed underground facilities that US bombs cannot reach, even though many surface production lines have been destroyed.

Beyond sophisticated and costly ballistic missiles, cheaper and easier-to-build explosive drones have helped Iran deplete large numbers of US interceptor missiles, expose radar positions, force airports or energy facilities to halt operations, and create disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s aging air-defense systems and air force largely failed to prevent US, Israeli, and Arab overflights during bombing missions.

Nevertheless, smaller electro-optical, heat-seeking, and shoulder-fired systems have achieved some intercepts, including downing an F-15 fighter jet. At least 45 advanced US MQ-9 Reaper drones—about a quarter of the entire fleet, costing over $1.3 billion—have been shot down by Iran or lost due to data-link or operational errors, according to US press reports.

In the Strait of Hormuz, which President Trump this week declared US territory, Washington and its allies have increased discrete oil and energy shipping operations in recent weeks. But despite significant damage to Iran’s naval capabilities, missile, drone, and fast-boat attacks have kept oil flows through Hormuz well below pre-war levels. Shipping disruptions also occur in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, where Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen occasionally clash with Saudi Arabia and its interests.

Iran and the United States currently have no meaningful dialogue, so a diplomatic exit from the current war has no clear prospect.