Iran is rebuilding its military capabilities faster than expected, including by restarting its production of drones, CNN reported Thursday, as Tehran said it was “reviewing” the latest US proposal to end the war. One US official was cited by CNN as saying that Iran could fully restore its pre-war capabilities in as little as six months, saying Tehran has “exceeded all timelines the IC [intelligence community] had for reconstitution.” The shortened timeline is due in part to assistance that Iran has received from Russia and China, the sources told CNN, alleging that Beijing has been supplying the Islamic Republic with missile components since war broke out on February 28.
China’s foreign ministry denied this, claiming the CNN report is “not based on facts.” The accelerated pace at which Iran is moving to restore its arsenal and capabilities suggests that it would still be a formidable foe, able to wreak havoc on the region should the US make good on repeated threats to begin its military campaign anew, the sources said. US Central Command declined to comment on the report, and a Pentagon spokesman insisted that the US military “has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the president’s choosing.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the Islamic Republic was examining Washington’s latest offer for a deal to end the war, while repeating Tehran’s demands for the release of its assets frozen abroad and an end to a US naval blockade, imposed amid the ceasefire in response to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The army chief of mediator Pakistan was due in Iran on Thursday for “talks and consultations” with Iranian authorities, according to Iranian media. (Read More)
