Pentagon Overestimates Damage to Iran’s Underground Missile Facilities

New intelligence assessments indicate that the administration of Donald Trump and senior US military officials overestimated the extent of damage American forces could inflict on Iran's missile infrastructure during the recent conflict. The findings also suggest that Washington underestimated Iran's ability to restore and sustain critical military capabilities under wartime conditions. According to sources familiar with the assessments, the US campaign caused significant disruption but failed to eliminate large portions of Iran's hardened missile network. Analysts now believe Tehran retained a greater operational capacity than initially expected, particularly within underground facilities designed to survive sustained aerial bombardment. Pentagon Faced Shortage of Bunker-Buster Bombs One of the key factors behind the limited effectiveness of the strikes reportedly stemmed from tactical decisions made by American commanders during the campaign. Faced with a shortage of specialized bunker-buster munitions, the Pentagon chose in many cases to seal the entrances to fortified Iranian missile complexes rather than completely destroy the underground facilities and the missiles stored inside them.