Pete Hegseth says Iran is digging out missiles and launchers

Iran warPete Hegseth says Iran is digging out missiles and launchersLast week, the defense secretary said Tehran’s air defenses had been decimated and the program was “functionally destroyed.” Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleHegseth says U.S. is 'locked and loaded' if Iran talks fail00:47Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 16, 2026, 1:35 PM EDTBy Gordon Lubold, Courtney Kube, Dan De Luce and Mosheh GainsWASHINGTON — A week ago, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Iran’s missile program was “functionally destroyed,” with stockpiles depleted, decimated and ineffective. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.On Thursday, he acknowledged Iran is “digging out” its remaining missiles and launchers, but said it no longer had the capacity to get more. “You have no defense industry, no ability to replenish your offensive or defensive capabilities,” he said. Despite the massive bombing campaign by the United States and Israel, roughly half of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers were still intact and thousands of one-way attack drones remained in its arsenal as of earlier this month, NBC News reported. Multiple missile stockpiles buried underground in Iran were undamaged.While peace talks stall and the U.S. expanded its efforts to block Iranian ports at the critical Strait of Hormuz, the Trump administration has been seeking to showcase that its military prowess caused devastation to Iran’s capabilities. But officials have offered conflicting messages on how bad that devastation has been.U.S. intelligence reporting suggests China was planning to provide new air defense weaponry to Iran in coming weeks, NBC News reported earlier this week.President Donald Trump said Wednesday that China, the primary buyer of Iranian oil, had agreed not to send arms to Iran, and was “very happy” with the U.S. effort to clear the Strait of Hormuz. A broad view of th...