Trump Admin vs. US Intel on Iran Missiles: Military Experts Weigh In

Sun, 17 May 2026 18:06:19 +0000

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One of the Trump administration’s key talking points on the Iran war is that the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities were devastated in US-Israeli bombing campaigns before the ceasefire began in April.

But intelligence reports that have not been made public suggest Iran’s military — in particular its missile capabilities — is not quite as destroyed as the US has made it out to be.

CNN and The New York Times have reported that Iran retains much of its missile capabilities despite what the Trump administration has claimed.

Retired US Navy admiral James Stavridis and retired US Army major general James “Spider” Marks evaluate Iran’s remaining military readiness. Also, CNN national security Alex Plitsas discusses Iran’s efforts to rebuild its missile readiness.

0:00 What the Trump administration has said about Iran’s remaining military capability
0:39 Former NATO commander says the intel report on Iran’s readiness is surprising
2:00 Retired general James “Spider” Marks details Iranian missile tactics
7:12 CNN national security analyst Alex Plitsas on US intel report

Watch more CNN here: https://cnn.it/4kh5RPe