Media: US intelligence questions Trump’s Iran missile claim

US intelligence assessments do not support President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran is close to developing a missile capable of striking the United States, according to three sources familiar with classified analyses, raising questions about part of the administration’s justification for a potential military strike against Tehran.

During his State of the Union address to Congress on February 24, Trump argued that Iran was “working on missiles that will soon reach” the United States, presenting the claim as part of a broader case to the American public for possible military action.

However, two sources said there have been no revisions to a 2025 unclassified assessment by the Defence Intelligence Agency, which concluded that Iran could require until 2035 to develop a militarily viable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) based on its current satellite-launch vehicle technology.

One of the sources added that even if Iran were to receive technological assistance from partners such as China or North Korea — both of which maintain close cooperation with Tehran — the country would still likely need at least eight years to produce a system that could be considered operational at an ICBM level.

By Tamilla Hasanova