The Hidden Reality Behind Netanyahu’s Claim About Iran’s Missile Capabilities
WANA (Nov 11) – While Benjamin Netanyahu spoke triumphantly in the Israeli parliament yesterday about the “elimination of Iran’s missile threat,” the situation on the ground tells a very different story.
On the same day, an Israeli security official admitted in an interview with Hebrew media that “Iran is already reproducing advanced missiles.” This admission quickly undermined the narrative of victory in Tel Aviv and placed renewed attention on assessing Iran’s actual military capabilities.
The 12-day war may have signaled the end of hostilities for Israel, but for military analysts, it raised a new question: Why did Tehran refrain from deploying the full capacity of its missile arsenal at the peak of the conflict?
The Second Round of Iranian Missile Strikes on Occupied Territories in Day Three of the Iran-Israel War, June 15, 2025. Social media/ WANA News Agency
Reports from The New York Times and Euronews—two Western outlets with different editorial perspectives—converged on one point: Iran’s missile arsenal remained largely untouched.
According to Euronews, this indicates not only that Iran is capable of responding, but that it has created a level of deterrence whose effect is felt even without active use of its weapons.
Among military analysts, this approach is known as second-type deterrence: deterrence achieved not through showcasing power, but through strategically concealing it.
Centrifuge and missile models are displayed during the 46th anniversary of the U.S. expulsion from Iran, in Tehran, Iran, November 4, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
Unlike many regional actors, Iran chose to reveal only a portion of its capability during the recent conflict. Western sources report that Tehran has yet to deploy missiles with ranges exceeding 2,000 km — including the Khorramshahr, Fattah, and Kheibar families.
Similarly, high-precision cruise missiles such as Soumar and Qasem did not appear on the battlefield.
This deliberate absence may have been the most meaningful message of the war:
Iran is capable — but has not yet chosen to use its full strength.
An Iranian missile system is displayed next to a banner with a picture of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the Iranian Defence Week, in a street in Tehran, Iran, September 25, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
Euronews wrote of the Kheibar missile: “The newest generation of the Khorramshahr family, with a range of up to 2,000 km and the ability to strike underground targets, designed without the need for complex launch systems.”
Regarding the Soumar cruise missile, it noted: “Its 2,500 km range and low-altitude flight path increase its chances of penetrating air defenses.”
In an additional analysis, Euronews suggested that maintaining this arsenal could serve as both a political and military pressure tool — something Iran may use strategically to influence negotiations.
“Eghtedar Paydar 2025” (dubbed in English Sustainable Authority) naval missile drill of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy. Source: Iran Army PR/ WANA News Agency
Meanwhile, BBC Persian analysts wrote after the conflict: “Israel experienced disruptions in intercepting Iranian missiles,” which was cited as one factor contributing to the early halt of the confrontation.
Iran’s advantage is not only technological but also economic. While each interceptor missile of Israel’s Iron Dome costs millions of dollars, Iran’s domestically-produced, solid-fuel missiles with rapid launch capability are far cheaper.
The result is clear: Every wave of Iranian fire imposes a financially exhausting burden on Tel Aviv.
An image reportedly showing the Israeli regime’s Biological Research Center in the occupied area of Ness Ziona, which was targeted by an Iranian missile this morning / WANA News Agency
Day three of Iran-Israel war — Massive IRGC barrage hits Israel / WANA News Agency
In Tel Aviv, a deep gap has emerged between Netanyahu’s rhetoric and field-verified realities.
The Times of Israel, quoting Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group, reported: “Tehran has dramatically increased missile production and is working around the clock, aiming to be able to launch two thousand missiles simultaneously — not just five hundred in twelve days.”
If the 12-day war is viewed not in terms of physical damage but in terms of strategic perception, the conclusion is evident: Iran demonstrated that deterrence can be maintained without firing all of its missiles.
The recent conflict may have ended a brief confrontation, but it has opened a new strategic phase in the minds of Western policymakers: A phase in which Iran is no longer just a missile power — but a psychological equation in the security politics of the Middle East.
