By Alistair MacDonald

The number of Iranian ballistic missile launches is declining and at current rates Tehran has only several more days of firepower from them, according to a Western official. Still, the decline might also be because Iran is holding back missiles so its operations can last longer, the official said.

The decline is a result of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian launch sites and the facilities that manufacture them, the official said. Even as its ability to fire sophisticated missiles dwindles, Iran can still maintain a drumbeat of attacks with cheaper systems, such as drones, another Western official said.

On Tuesday, the top U.S. commander in the region, Adm. Brad Cooper, said Iran's ability to target the U.S. and its partners in the Middle East was declining after hundreds of its ballistic missiles, launchers and drones were targeted.

Ballistic missiles are the most deadly and hard to intercept weapons in Iran's arsenal. The U.S., Israel and Gulf nations being targeted by Iran are expending expensive air-defense interceptors to shoot them down, leading to concerns about their run rates.

The current situation differs from that in Ukraine, which doesn't possess the same ability as the U.S. and Israel to target missile and drone launchers or the facilities that produce them.

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March 04, 2026 10:30 ET (15:30 GMT)

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