Iran drone production has restarted in part during a six-week ceasefire, according to US intelligence assessments cited by CNN.
The assessments indicate that Iran is rebuilding some military capabilities faster than US officials first expected. They include drone production, missile launchers and weapons sites damaged by US-Israeli strikes.
One US official told CNN that Iran could fully rebuild its drone attack capability in as little as six months. The official said Iran had exceeded intelligence-community timelines for reconstitution.
Iran, whose capital is Tehran, sits in Western Asia. Its rebuilt drone and missile capacity could threaten Israel and Gulf states if fighting resumes.
Read: US and Allies Rush to Develop Copies of Iran’s Deadly Shahed Drones
However, US Central Command has publicly described the damage as more severe. Adm. Brad Cooper testified that Operation Epic Fury destroyed 90% of Iran’s defense industrial base.
CNN reported that recent intelligence assessments conflict with that claim. One source said the strikes may have set Iran back by months, not years.
China denied allegations that it supplied Iran with missile-manufacturing components. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun called the claim “not based on facts,” according to CNN’s reporting.
