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An Iron Dome missile defense system launches an interceptor missile. / Reuters-Yonhap

Iran has resumed ballistic missile production using components stockpiled at underground facilities, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sept. 10 local time, citing U.S. officials and Middle East officials familiar with the matter. The development undercuts claims by the U.S. and Israel that they had largely destroyed Iran’s missile program early in the war.

Despite intensive strikes on missile bases and industrial facilities in the early stages of the conflict, Iran is now assembling both liquid-fueled and solid-fueled missiles, with activity detected at several underground sites, including the Khojir missile complex southeast of Tehran. Iran is also reportedly building new underground assembly facilities to avoid further attacks.

Iran is struggling to import solid-fuel components and raw materials because its industrial facilities have been damaged and the U.S. has imposed a maritime blockade in areas including the Strait of Hormuz. It is therefore believed to be producing missiles in limited quantities using warheads, airframes, guidance and control systems and other components stockpiled before the war. One U.S. official assessed that Iran could potentially assemble hundreds or even thousands of missiles.

“The number of missiles Iran can produce depends on the size of its stockpiled components and the number of underground facilities still operating,” said Jim Lamson, a former CIA analyst and visiting research fellow at King’s College London. He estimated that Iran could produce hundreds, or possibly thousands, of missiles depending on its stockpiles and the underground facilities still available.

The U.S. Defense Department has claimed that up to 90% of Iran’s drone, ballistic missile and naval industrial base has been destroyed. Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said in March that the U.S. had destroyed as much as 90% of Iran’s drone, ballistic missile and naval industrial base, significantly weakening Tehran’s ability to launch attacks. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also said in April that Iran’s missile program had been “functionally destroyed.”

A U.S. government official said Iran may have resumed limited production after signing a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. in mid-June to end the war.

The resumption of Iran’s ballistic missile production shows how difficult it is to completely eliminate the country’s missile program, one of the main objectives of U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran, the WSJ said.

“If there are no airstrikes on the facilities, they can repair damaged infrastructure, acquire new components from other countries and stockpile them at the sites,” said Tal Inbar, a senior analyst at the U.S.-based nonprofit Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. “It would be extremely naive to think Iran is not rebuilding its missile production capability.”

                                                                                                             Park Jin-sook