Iran rapidly repairs underground missile bunkers after US-Israel strikes, US intelligence says

Iranian operatives have been restoring underground missile bunkers and silos struck by US and Israeli bombs, returning them to operation just hours after attacks, according to US intelligence reports. The reports also indicate that Iran retains a significant portion of its missiles and mobile launchers. The Pentagon and White House this week asserted substantial progress against Iran. During a briefing, the Pentagon said it had struck 11,000 targets in Iran over five weeks of war.

However, US intelligence has questioned how close the United States is to eliminating Iran’s missile capability, a central war objective. While the exact number of remaining launchers is uncertain, Iran still possesses enough ballistic missiles and launchers to strike Israel and other regional targets, according to officials briefed on the intelligence. Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio has described the ‘severe diminishing’ of Iran’s missile launch capacity as a key goal. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has highlighted the damage inflicted by US and Israeli strikes and the decline in Iranian missile activity.

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“Yes, they will still shoot some missiles, but we will shoot them down,” Hegseth said on Monday. “Of note, the last 24 hours saw the lowest number of enemy missiles and drones fired by Iran. They will go underground, but we will find them.” Hegseth and White House officials have emphasized that Iran’s missile and drone launch rate has dropped sharply since the war began. “Here are the facts: Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks are down 90 per cent, their navy is wiped out, two-thirds of their production facilities are damaged or destroyed, and the United States and Israel have overwhelming air dominance over Iran,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.

While the US and Israeli strikes have inflicted significant damage, intelligence suggests Iran is keeping many of its launchers in bunkers and caves to shield them from attacks. American officials say Iran aims to maintain its missile capability to apply regional pressure if the conflict continues or to threaten after it ends. Despite reduced arsenals, Iran continues missile attacks on Israel, reportedly launching about 20 missiles per day, often one or two at a time. A senior Western official noted Iran fires 15–30 ballistic missiles and 50–100 one-way attack drones daily.

Ex-officials say internal fractures in the Iranian government have hampered command and control, limiting Iran’s ability to launch mass strikes simultaneously. Precise assessments of Iran’s capability remain unclear, as it deploys decoys, and the US is unsure how many destroyed apparent launchers were real. Even when underground bunkers or silos appear damaged, Iran has been able to quickly restore them. CNN earlier reported that Iran retains half of its missile launchers. Haaretz reported that Iran used bulldozers to dig out “corked” missile launchers from underground bunkers.

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