What Are Iran’s Missile and Drone Capabilities?

The power of its air force diminished by Western sanctions, Iran invested heavily in missiles and drones over the years, amassing what US intelligence called in early 2025 the “largest stockpile” of such systems in the Middle East. Its capabilities are both a target of the war on Iran being waged by the US and Israel, which have long aimed to neutralize this threat, and Iran’s main means of responding to the assault.

Iran has deployed these weapons against Israel, US forces in the Middle East, and other targets in a dozen countries. It surprised the world on March 20 when it demonstrated the ability to deliver ballistic missiles as far away as 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) by striking at a US-UK military base on Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean. West European cities such as London and Paris are within that range of Iran.