U.S. forces have been unable to locate all of Iran’s missile launch sites despite weeks of military operations, raising concerns in Washington about the effectiveness of the campaign against Tehran and the risks of a prolonged conflict across the Middle East.
Two American military officials said the Pentagon still lacks “full clarity” on the location of several Iranian launch platforms, allowing Tehran to continue firing missiles and drones at U.S. military installations and allied targets across the Gulf region.
The disclosure comes as Donald Trump insisted that the American-Israeli campaign against Iran was progressing rapidly.
Speaking to CBS News on Monday, the U.S. president said the war was “very complete, pretty much” and added that American forces were “very far ahead of schedule.”
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Yet Iranian strikes have continued across the region, targeting U.S. bases and military infrastructure. Some cities in allied Gulf states, including Dubai, have also been hit during the barrage of missiles and drones launched since the conflict began.
Officials familiar with intelligence assessments say Iran appears to have deliberately concealed part of its missile arsenal. According to the officials, Tehran retained a significant number of missiles in reserve specifically to target American radar systems and other battlefield assets designed to detect incoming threats.
The continuing attacks have raised questions among defence officials about whether the Trump administration underestimated Iran’s capacity to retaliate after the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes.
Before the war began, some military advisers had warned that Iran would likely respond with a broad regional assault, viewing the attacks as an existential threat to the regime.
Other advisers believed that eliminating key figures within Iran’s leadership could open the door for more pragmatic leaders willing to negotiate an end to the conflict.
Instead, Iran has mounted a sustained retaliation campaign. Analysis indicates that Iranian forces have damaged at least 17 U.S. military and diplomatic installations across the region since the start of the war. Several of those sites have reportedly been struck more than once.
One of the most costly incidents occurred on February 28, when Iranian missiles struck the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. A Pentagon assessment presented to Congress estimated that the attack caused roughly $200 million in damage.
The scale and coordination of Iran’s response have surprised some American officials, who now believe Tehran may have been far better prepared for war than initially anticipated.
At the same time, reports have emerged that Washington rejected an offer from Volodymyr Zelensky to provide interceptor drones capable of shooting down Iranian-made attack drones.
According to U.S. officials cited by Axios, the Ukrainian leader proposed the technology during a meeting at the White House last August, describing the systems as a low-cost and battle-tested solution already used against Russian drones in Ukraine.
Some officials now view the decision to decline the proposal as one of the administration’s most significant tactical miscalculations.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials are considering whether to deploy special operations forces to secure a key Iranian nuclear site near Isfahan.
Intelligence assessments indicate that Iran may still possess about 450 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity. Experts say the material could be refined to weapons-grade levels within weeks, potentially allowing Tehran to produce multiple nuclear weapons.
The war has also rattled global energy markets. Confusion over the security of the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which a significant share of the world’s oil supply passes — triggered sharp fluctuations in crude prices this week.
Markets briefly surged after U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright posted on social media that the U.S. Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the strait to ensure global supply. The message was later deleted, and the White House confirmed the claim was inaccurate.
By then, however, oil markets had already reacted, with Brent crude jumping from about $82 to $92 a barrel amid the uncertainty.
As the conflict continues, analysts warn that Iran’s remaining missile capabilities and its nuclear stockpile could prolong the war and deepen instability across the Middle East.
