By
Chris Panella
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Iranian missiles, launchers, and related facilities were key targets for US and Israeli strikes.
US Navy photo
2026-04-16T15:26:29.267Z
Iran is digging out its remaining missiles and launchers, the Pentagon said Thursday.
The US has assessed that much of Iran's missile and launch capabilities have been destroyed.
US Navy vessels are blocking Iranian ports amid negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
The Iranian military has been digging out its remaining missiles and launchers, Pentagon leadership said Thursday as the US Navy's blockade of Iranian ports continues amid negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
The US and Israel have bombarded Iran's missile launchers and storage facilities, as well as its defense industrial base. The Pentagon has said that Operation Epic Fury heavily degraded these capabilities.At a press briefing on Thursday, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that he was aware of Iranian military movements and actions during the ceasefire."We know what military assets you are moving and where you are moving them to," Hegseth said, stating that he was speaking directly to Iranian leadership."You are digging out your remaining launchers and missiles with no ability to replace them," the secretary said. "You have no defense industry, no ability to replenish your offensive or defensive capabilities."
The US armed forces struck more than 13,000 targets in total during the war against Iran prior to the recent ceasefire agreement.Earlier this month, the US said that about 80% of Iran's air defense systems, more than 1,500 targets, had been destroyed during the operation. US officials have also said Iran's defense industrial capacity has been severely weakened, including 450 ballistic missile storage facilities and roughly 90% of Iran's weaponry factories in total.US intelligence has assessed that Iran still maintains an arsenal of missiles and launchers, much of which has been buried. Satellite images show that Iran has been conducting excavation work at some of its missile bases that were hit during the first five weeks of Operation Epic Fury. The exact number of remaining missiles and launchers remains unclear.
The US blockade of Iranian ports began earlier this week and so far has forced at least 10 vessels to turn around.
SAUL LOEB / AFP
At the beginning of the conflict, Iran launched major missile and drone attacks on US forces and Gulf state allies and partners. Within the first week, those strikes fell by over 90%, but they didn'