United States President Donald Trump has said that Iran still possesses roughly 21 to 22 percent of its missile stockpile, despite recent military confrontations and claims that Tehran’s capabilities have been significantly degraded.
Speaking in an interview with NBC News on Friday, Trump acknowledged that Iran continues to maintain some military capacity, including missiles and drones.
“They still have capacity. They have some missiles, they have some drones. I would say, percentage wise, maybe 21, 22 percent of their missiles,” Trump stated.
The estimate marks an increase from a figure of 18 percent that Trump cited in May, even as he has repeatedly claimed that Iran’s war-fighting capabilities had been largely destroyed.
The remarks come amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. Iran’s military on Friday claimed it fired “warning missiles” toward two U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Oman, an assertion swiftly rejected by the U.S. military.
Earlier in the week, Kuwait reported intercepting 30 ballistic missiles, describing the launch as an act of “heinous Iranian aggression.”
The conflicting claims underscore continuing instability in the region despite efforts to maintain a fragile ceasefire, with concerns growing over Iran’s remaining missile and drone capabilities.
