Iran Readies First Retaliatory Salvo of 2000 Ballistic Missiles if Israel and U.S. Attack Again
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Shahab-3 Launch and Arrival of Iranian Missiles Over Israel
Military Watch Magazine Editorial Staff
November-14th-2025
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the country’s defence sector have continued efforts to expand and enhance the service’s ballistic missile arsenal, which serves as the country’s primary deterrent against attacks by Israel and Western Bloc states. The arsenal has reportedly exceeded its pre-war levels seen before Israel and the United States launched an assault on the country in June, which targeted leadership, civilian infrastructure, military and nuclear targets, and was supported Turkey and several European countries. The severity of the damage from the ballistic missile attacks Iran launched in response, and the fast diminishing ability of Israeli and U.S. missile defences to intercept them, was considered a primary factor leading Israel and its supporters to accept a ceasefire on June 24. Commenting on the damage, U.S. President Donald Trump observed: “Especially those last couple of days, Israel was hit really hard. Those ballistic missiles, boy they took out a lot of buildings.” The results of the war are considered likely to have strengthened the consensus in Iran on the need to prioritise the strengthening of the ballistic missile arsenal.
Iranian Sejil Ballistic Missiles
Providing the most significant insight into efforts to strengthen Iran’s missile deterrent, Iranian officials informed the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group Ali Vaez that “missile factories are working 24 hours a day.” Vaez observed regarding Iranian plans to launch a bombardment against Israel at orders of magnitude greater intensity if attacked: “they hope to fire 2,000 at once to overwhelm Israeli defences, not 500 over 12 days” as they did in June. “Israel feels the job is unfinished and sees no reason not to resume the conflict, so Iran is doubling down preparedness for the next round,” he added. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi similarly observed: “Our missile power today far surpasses that of the 12-Day War. The enemy in the recent 12-day war failed to achieve all its objectives and was defeated.” Defence Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh observed: “Iran’s defence production has improved both in quantity and quality compared to before the 12-day Israeli-imposed war in June.”
Damage in Tel Aviv After Iranian Missile Attacks
Iran’s ballistic missile strikes launched in June were by far the largest seen in world history, and forced the U.S. Army to expend over 150 anti-ballistic missile interceptors from its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) long range air defence system during less than 12 days of hostilities. This represented over 25 percent of the Army’s total arsenal deployed around the world, raising serious concerns regarding the ability of American air defences to withstand sustained bombardments in theatres across much of the world, particularly against adversaries such as China and North Korea fielding much more capable arsenals. With each THAAD interceptor launch costing $15.5 million, the defence of Israeli airspace using these systems is estimated to have cost over $2.35 billion. It is estimated that over $3 billion worth of SM-3 and SM-6 anti-ballistic missiles were also expended by the U.S. Navy, making the brief war effort one of the most costly per hour ever waged by the United States.
Original:
https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/iran-readies-2000-ballistic-missiles
