Washington DC (US)

A majority of Iranian ballistic missiles are "combat-ineffective" and cannot accomplish the assigned mission, even if 50 per cent of the launchers remain "intact," US-based think tank Institute of the Study of War's report stated on Saturday.

Iran has used drones and missiles to strike against Israeli infrastructure and US assets in West Asia amid the ongoing conflict in the region.

The report cites recent US intelligence assessments to note that 50 per cent of Iranian missile launchers are still "intact," however, a launcher unit becomes combat ineffective, even if it has suffered no damage, when it cannot accomplish its assigned mission.

The think tank noted that Iran's medium-range ballistic missile force has been "significantly degraded," while the short-range ballistic missile force has conducted attacks at a steady rate.

The report read, "Assessing Iran's missile threat accurately requires distinguishing between different missile types. The combined force has rendered many of Iran's missile launchers combat ineffective, but it is entirely unclear whether these "launchers" refer to launchers for medium-range or short-range systems or whether any of the launchers are interchangeable between medium-range and short-range systems... The rate of Iranian missile fire suggests that Iran's medium-range ballistic missile force has been significantly degraded."

"The short-range ballistic missile force has continued to conduct attacks at a steady rate, but the status of the short-range missile force remains unclear," it added.

The policy research centre also noted that the US-Israeli strikes, beginning on February 28, have developed a "pervasive fear" among the Iranian forces, leading to fewer missile attacks since March 20. The report also claimed a recruitment and retention issue among the Iranian armed forces.

The think tank wrote, "US-Israeli strikes, particularly decapitation strikes, have also created a pervasive fear that may cause Iranian forces to prioritise their survival and impede their ability to execute their assigned mission... Iranian missile fire targeting Israel has steadily declined since the beginning of the war. Iran has, on average, fired only a few missiles per salvo at Israel since March 20. This impact is less clear within the short-range missile force. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated on March 31 that combined force airstrikes have degraded the Iranian military's morale and even led to 'widespread desertions, key personnel shortages, and caused frustrations amongst senior leaders.' Iranian forces also appear to be struggling with recruitment and retention."

The institute noted that Iran's ability to rebuild the stockpiles of drones and missiles has degraded.

"The US-Israeli campaign has solidified the operational success generated by rendering launchers combat ineffective and destroying missile stockpiles by targeting Iran's defence industrial base extensively. Strikes on these sites will make it more challenging for Iran to reconstitute its missile and drone program over the long-term. Iran retains an unclear number of missiles and drones in its stockpiles, but ongoing strikes on Iranian defence industrial sites degrade Iran's ability to rebuild these stockpiles. Iran has also used a sizable portion of its weapons stockpiles in attacks on Israel and the Gulf since the war began," the report noted.

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Meanwhile, Iranian and allied forces have launched "Wave 93" of a sustained retaliatory campaign, striking critical Israeli military staging grounds, state broadcaster Press TV reported. The strikes mark a significant escalation in the regional confrontation. According to a statement from the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) carried by Press TV, this latest phase of "Operation True Promise 4" was carried out on Friday afternoon.

Iran has rallied on drones and ballistic missiles to carry out "Operation True Promise 4".