The Wall Street Journal, citing US intelligence reports, says Iran still possesses thousands of ballistic missiles, despite the Pentagon's claim that Tehran's missile program has been "destroyed."

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared this week that Iran's missile program has been "functionally destroyed," with missiles and launchers "depleted, damaged, and almost completely ineffective."

However, the WSJ reported on April 10, citing US intelligence reports, that Iran may still be able to partially restore its missile force despite the continuous US and Israeli airstrikes over the past month.

Although more than half of Iran's launchers have been destroyed, damaged, or trapped in collapsed underground bunkers, many launchers could still be repaired or unearthed for continued use, the WSJ quoted US officials as saying.

A series of missiles were fired during Iran's 95th retaliatory strike, as shown in a video posted on April 4. Video: Tasnim

Israeli officials say about two-thirds of Iran's ballistic missile launchers have been neutralized in the conflict, but also note that Tehran may have recovered many launchers buried underground after the strikes by Washington and Tel Aviv.

According to US and Israeli officials, Iran's missile stockpile has been reduced by about half compared to before the conflict erupted on February 28, but the country still has thousands of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles that could be removed from storage or retrieved from underground facilities.

"Israeli officials also say that Iran still has more than 1,000 of the 2,500 medium-range missiles it estimated it possessed at the time the fighting broke out. The rest have been fired or destroyed," the Wall Street Journal reported.

U.S. officials say Iran has less than 50% of the suicide drones it possessed at the start of the conflict, due to its use in retaliatory attacks and attacks on weapons production facilities.

U.S. officials also say Iran still has a small number of cruise missiles, adding that these could potentially be used to target ships in the Persian Gulf and U.S. troops if negotiations break down.

While Israel has been unable to eliminate Iran's entire missile launch capability, Israeli officials say they have achieved success in reducing Tehran's firing frequency to 10-15 missiles a day for much of the conflict. Iran launched dozens of missiles daily during the initial phase of the fighting.

A collection of missiles is displayed at a museum in Tehran, Iran on April 2. Photo: AFP

According to the WSJ, Israeli officials also said that Iran is currently unable to produce more missiles and that Tehran's recovery speed will depend on the level of external support.

The Central Command (CENTCOM), the agency responsible for US military operations in the Middle East, declined to comment on the information. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said US forces have achieved all their objectives.

The US and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire on April 8, brokered by Pakistan, to facilitate negotiations. Some US officials fear Iran may use the ceasefire to rebuild part of its missile stockpile.

"Iran has demonstrated an incredible ability to innovate and rebuild its forces," said Kenneth Pollack, vice president for policy at the Middle East Institute. "They are a far more formidable opponent than most military forces in the Middle East, with the exception of Israel."

However, American analysts do not believe Iran will soon restore its missile and UAV stockpile to pre-conflict levels, after its defense industry suffered numerous attacks from the US and Israel.