Iran Is ‘Running Out Of Missiles’

Number of rockets fired by Tehran over 24-hours has plummeted – possibly owing to its ground launchers being blown up in strikes

Iran appears to have lost its ability to fire massive missile salvos in retaliation against the United States and Israel.

Tehran has significantly curbed the number of ballistic missiles it is firing in a 24-hour period, according to analysis published by countries coming under attack from the Islamic Republic.

Experts suggest this could be the result of the Iranian armed forces losing ground-based missile launchers in US strikes, known as transporter erector launchers (TEL).

Iran is thought to have fired off hundreds more missiles in the initial days of this conflict than it did during the 12-day war with Israel in June last year.

Iran was believed to have vast stockpiles of short-range ballistic missiles before the conflict started, with conservative estimates putting the numbers at around 2,000 to 2,500.

Tehran has launched an estimated 500-750 ballistic missiles since Saturday, targeting mainly Israel and countries across the Gulf that host American military bases.

Countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait have been publishing a daily tally of Iranian missiles and drones launched in their direction.

In the first two days of the conflict, Iran fired an average of 58 ballistic missiles a day at the UAE, but this fell to only 10 on the fourth day.

This was the “preliminary evidence that Iran is running out of ballistic missiles”, according to Colby Badhwar, a defence analyst.

Bahrain claimed to have successfully intercepted a total of 70 missiles on Tuesday. A day later, it said the total number had risen to 74.

Kuwait claimed to have engaged a total of 97 ballistic missiles in the first 24 hours of the war, but has not provided new figures in the days since.

Qatar’s defence ministry on Wednesday said it had been targeted by two ballistic missiles, with one of them hitting the Al-Udeid base without causing casualties.

This figure was down from seven ballistic missiles launched against the Gulf state on Monday.

In total, Qatar claims to have been targeted with at least 101 ballistic missiles, with the vast majority coming in the first and second days of the war.

American tactics have focused on destroying Iran’s offensive capabilities, wiping out many of the TELs.

“We’re focused on shooting everything that can shoot at us,” Brad Cooper, who heads up US central command, said in a briefing

Satellite images have shown damage to missile facilities across Iran, including one ballistic missile site in the central city of Isfahan. The site, which was partially rebuilt after American attacks in June during the 12-day war, was struck again between Feb 27 and March 1, according to before-and-after satellite images.

Satellite imagery shows damage to a ballistic missile facility at Isfahan, around 270 miles south of Tehran.

Fabian Hoffmann, a missile technology expert based in Oslo, wrote on social media: “Given that the present conflict is far more existential from a regime perspective and that short-range ballistic missiles are viable, one would expect significantly greater ballistic missile use unless Iran’s missile and launcher capabilities have been heavily degraded – which evidently they are.

“Interceptor stockpile shortages were, and arguably remain, a valid concern, but only if Iran had been able to sustain the intensity observed during the first two nights, which it clearly has not. At present, with the possible exception of Bahrain, no Gulf state appears to be in a particularly alarming position.”

The US is also depleting its stocks of precision weapons, leaving it “days away” from being forced to prioritise which targets to intercept, sources told the Wall Street Journal.

Culled From The UK TELEGRAPH