Shafaq News
A background look at the forces, weapons systems, and defenses shaping the current standoff.
Israel’s decision to ban photography during its June 2025 war with Iran reflected the scale of damage caused by Iranian ballistic missiles that struck targets across multiple Israeli cities. A similar ban imposed by Iranian authorities aimed to conceal damage to nuclear facilities and other sites hit in cities and surrounding areas.
Attention has now shifted back to the possibility of renewed confrontation, with the United States emerging at the forefront of a potential conflict with Iran, while Israel positions itself behind Washington in an effort to steer the crisis toward a military option rather than negotiations. Israeli media have quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that talks with Iran would not produce meaningful results.
As both sides increase military preparations, focus has turned to the capabilities of the potential adversaries: the United States and Israel on one side, and Iran on the other. Recent US military deployments are among the largest seen in the region, with Washington raising readiness levels at its bases near Iran and deploying aircraft carriers equipped with advanced offensive and defensive systems.
US Military Posture
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group is currently operating in the Middle East “to enhance regional security and stability.” Military analysts often describe the carrier as a floating airbase.
The strike group includes the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers: USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr., USS Spruance, and USS Michael Murphy. According to CBS, the carrier hosts squadrons of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, fifth-generation F-35C stealth fighters, and MH-60R/S helicopters.
In addition to the carrier group, Washington has deployed squadrons of F-15 fighter jets and C-17 transport aircraft carrying heavy equipment to the region.
A single Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, such as USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr., is capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missile strikes against Iranian targets and providing air defense for the carrier group through the Aegis combat system. The Arleigh Burke class is considered among the most advanced in the US Navy and is equipped with the Aegis system, designed to integrate sensors to counter anti-ship missile threats, according to Naval Technology.
The Aegis system can intercept ballistic missiles using SM-3 interceptors. The destroyers are also armed with up to 56 Tomahawk cruise missiles, including land-attack and anti-ship variants guided by inertial navigation.
EA-18G Growler aircraft are designed to conduct electronic warfare missions, including jamming enemy air defense systems. Similar capabilities were previously employed by the United States during operations targeting Venezuelan air defenses.
Iran’s Capabilities
On the Iranian side, ballistic missiles are viewed as the most influential element of its military arsenal. Leaked footage from previous confrontations showed missiles striking key administrative centers in Tel Aviv and the economic hub of Haifa.
According to the Office of the US Director of National Intelligence, Iran possesses the largest stockpile of ballistic missiles in the Middle East.
Statements and videos released by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) over time indicate that Iran operates multiple missile sites in and around Tehran, as well as at least five known underground “missile cities” across several regions, including Kermanshah, Semnan, and areas near the Gulf.
Iran’s ballistic missile inventory includes several systems with varying ranges, such as the Sejjil missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers, Emad with a range of 1,700 kilometers, Kadr with a range of 2,000 kilometers, Shahab-3 with a range of 1,300 kilometers, Khorramshahr with a range of 2,000 kilometers, and Hoveyzeh with a range of 1,350 kilometers.
In April 2025, Iran’s semi-official Student News Agency (ISNA) published a graphic showing nine Iranian missiles it said were capable of reaching Israel. These included a hypersonic Sejjil missile, which the agency said can fly at speeds exceeding 17,000 kilometers per hour with a range of 2,500 kilometers, the Kheibar missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers, and the Haj Qassem missile with a range of 1,400 kilometers.
Iranian officials have emphasized that these missile capabilities allow Tehran to target US military bases across the region, including in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.
In June 2023, Iran announced that it had developed its first domestically produced hypersonic ballistic missile. Hypersonic missiles travel at least five times the speed of sound and follow complex trajectories, making them difficult to intercept.
Iran has not indicated whether it would accept negotiations over its ballistic missile program. The issue remains a core concern for both the United States and Israel, which argue that limiting Iran’s missile capabilities is essential to any agreement. Iranian officials, however, have repeatedly described the missile program as a “red line,” insisting that negotiations should be confined to the nuclear file.
Read more: Redrawing the map: How Iran–Israel war is reshaping the Middle East
Tehran has used ballistic missiles in several operations, including a strike on the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. In January 2024, the IRGC said it targeted an Israeli intelligence facility in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, as well as Islamic State (ISIS) positions in Syria. Iran has also launched ballistic missiles at two bases belonging to an armed group inside Pakistani territory.
Saudi Arabia and the United States accused Iran in 2019 of carrying out a drone and cruise missile attack on facilities operated by Saudi Aramco. Tehran denied responsibility.
One of the most significant Iranian missile attacks against US forces occurred in 2020, when Iran struck the Ain al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq in response to the US assassination of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force, in Baghdad.
Read more: Zero-sum game: Can the Iran-Israel conflict push Iraq toward frontline?
Despite Iran’s promotion of advanced air defense systems such as Khordad-15, Bavar-373, and Sevom Khordad, previous rounds of fighting showed that these systems, including Russian-supplied S-300PMU batteries, failed to prevent US and Israeli air strikes.
Israel’s Air and Missile Defenses
Israel’s primary military advantage lies in its air force, which is widely regarded as among the most capable globally. It is centered on squadrons of F-35, F-15, and F-16 fighter jets and has played a central role in Israel’s military campaigns across the region over the past two years.
Israel also relies heavily on its missile defense network, which intercepted a portion of Iranian missiles during the last conflict, though the systems showed signs of strain. The network is designed to counter Iranian drones, including the Shahed series, which fly at speeds of about 185 kilometers per hour, with ranges exceeding 2,500 kilometers and payloads of 30 to 50 kilograms of explosives.
Read more: Fragile Truce: Unpacking the uneasy ceasefire between Israel and Iran
Israel’s missile defense architecture consists of four operational layers, with an additional laser-based interception system announced but not yet used in combat. The existing systems include Iron Dome, which intercepts short-range rockets with ranges between four and 70 kilometers; David’s Sling, designed to counter medium-range threats between three and 400 kilometers; and Arrow-3, intended to intercept long-range and hypersonic missiles at distances of up to 2,300 kilometers.
The United States, which Israel depends on for logistics and intelligence, has also deployed the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to support Israel’s defenses against missiles with ranges exceeding 3,000 kilometers.
Unused Capabilities
If a new war were to break out, it could involve weapons not previously used by all sides. Iran has yet to employ its naval forces deployed along the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Strait of Hormuz, and the port of Bandar Abbas. According to Global Firepower, Iran’s navy ranks 37th globally.
Iran typically launches ballistic missiles at night, citing operational mobility and the technical requirements of liquid-fuel missiles. Night launches also reduce exposure to satellite surveillance, which has played a key role in US and Israeli monitoring of Iranian military movements and has assisted Israeli air operations in targeting parts of Iran’s missile infrastructure.
Read more: US-Israel threats to Iran: can mediators avert 2025 war?