Iran Uses the Truce to Rebuild and Reinforce Its Military Arsenal
U.S. intelligence assessments indicate that the Iranian military is rebuilding its capabilities at a much faster pace than initially expected.
Iran resumed some drone production operations during the ceasefire period that began in early April, CNN reported on Thursday, citing two sources familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments. This points to intensive preparations by Tehran for the possibility of a renewed war amid ongoing threats from Washington, despite statements by U.S. President Donald Trump claiming that a large part of Iran’s military capabilities had been destroyed.
The report also quoted four sources saying that U.S. intelligence believes the Iranian military is rebuilding its ranks at a far faster pace than originally anticipated.
It is widely believed that Tehran has relied on rebuilding its military capabilities on its own resources, as well as on military support from China, Russia, and possibly North Korea.
The United States had imposed a blockade on Iranian ports to prevent countries such as China from providing military assistance to Tehran, while Iranian authorities recently exempted Chinese vessels from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Following the end of the war that erupted in February 2026 and caused extensive damage to Iran’s military infrastructure, Tehran entered a phase of comprehensive reassessment of its defensive and offensive capabilities in an effort to restore its military balance and compensate for losses suffered by strategic facilities during the recent confrontations.
Security assessments and analyses indicate that Iran has already launched a broad reconstruction program that includes rehabilitating military and industrial sites damaged by airstrikes, as well as restarting production lines linked to missiles and drones. The pace of these operations appears faster than expected despite the scale of destruction affecting some vital facilities.
According to satellite imagery and field analyses, repair work has included facilities associated with ballistic missile programs, where construction and maintenance activities have been observed at several targeted locations. The data also suggest that some sites have regained part of their operational readiness, while others remain under rehabilitation.
At the same time, Tehran is working to restore its military production capabilities by restarting ammunition and missile manufacturing and assembly workshops, in addition to reusing military stockpiles that had previously been hidden or damaged. This effort aims to strengthen defensive readiness and reduce the gap left by the recent war.
Iran is also seeking to strengthen its military self-sufficiency by developing domestic defense manufacturing capabilities, including missile components and drone systems, as part of a long-term strategy aimed at reducing dependence on foreign supplies, especially under continuing international sanctions.
Analysts believe that the reconstruction process is not limited to repairing damage alone, but also includes restructuring certain military capabilities and redistributing them more flexibly, allowing Tehran to improve its resilience in the event of another regional confrontation.
Conversely, other assessments indicate that the damage inflicted on military infrastructure was extensive, making the recovery process complex and prolonged, particularly in technologically advanced sectors such as precision missile systems.
Alongside reconstruction efforts, Iran is also working to raise the combat readiness of its forces through military exercises and the redeployment of certain units, while strengthening air defense systems in anticipation of possible future strikes.
Against this backdrop, observers believe that Iran is currently undergoing a phase of “reconstruction under pressure,” attempting to balance the repair of wartime losses with maintaining its deterrence capabilities in a regional environment that remains tense and vulnerable to escalation at any moment amid continuing U.S. threats of renewed war.
