There have been nearly a dozen attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz so far this month — as it emerged that some Western officials are sounding the alarm on Iran’s military capacity despite President Donald Trump’s insistence the country’s military has been destroyed.
Iran has plenty of ballistic missiles and can speedily ramp up its stockpile, even after more than seven months of bombing by the United States, anonymous Western officials told Bloomberg.
Word that Iran’s ability to strike back is still strong comes as reports show 11 ships in Strait of Hormuz or nearby, off the coast of Oman, so far in October, according to Fox News, which cited maritime officials in the United States and the UK.
In nearly every public appearance, the president has repeated nearly verbatim his claims that Iran’s military has been destroyed.
But that’s not the case, according to the report:
Tehran still has the capacity to manufacture weapons to rebuild its arsenal, according to the Western officials, who asked not to be identified discussing private assessments. One official said Iran remains well-stocked with ballistic missiles and some anti-ship weapons, and can quickly add more.
The Western official said Russia was providing missiles as well, echoing a separate assessment in June. Russia’s Ministry of Defense did not respond to a request for comment.
The White House pushed back on the claims.
“First, President Trump obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities during Operation Midnight Hammer,” a spokeswoman told the outlet in a statement.
“Then, Operation Epic Fury successfully destroyed the conventional shield that Iran sought to create over a nuclear program, including their ballistic missiles, production facilities, and navy,” the statement continued.
Word of Iran’s continued military abilities comes just days after Trump proclaimed in a Truth Social post he would pause attacks on Iran ahead of the United States’ Nov. 3 midterm elections:
We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran. I want to make it clear to everybody that, while Iran is in very bad condition, both Economically and Militarily, and while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, with Oil flowing in Record Numbers of Barrels through the Hormuz Strait (22 Million Barrels, last night alone, with not one barrel coming from, or going to, Iran!), we will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd. IRAN WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON! President DONALD J. TRUMP
The report comes at it also emerged Russian dictator Vladimir Putin attempted to play mediator between the United States and Iran, sharing Iran’s position on ending the war with Trump in a phone call Friday.
“In coordination with the president of Iran, Putin conveyed to Trump the Iranian side’s view on a possible resolution of the conflict,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to reports.
The post Strait of Hormuz Attacks Up as Sources Say Iran Is ‘Well-Stocked’ With Missiles — Despite Trump’s Claims first appeared on Mediaite.