Experts assert that Iran’s military is not configured to triumph in a conventional conflict against powers like the United States or Israel. Instead, it is structured to endure such a conflict, absorbing strikes and persisting over time.

This strategic approach is evident in both the composition of Iran’s military forces and their current operations, particularly in the face of ongoing U.S. and Israeli attacks.

The extent of these operations has been substantial. Since the initiation of Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command reported on March 23, 2026, that over 9,000 targets have been engaged. This includes more than 9,000 combat sorties targeting missile installations, air defense systems, command centers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and facilities for weapons production.

The design of Iran’s military emphasizes survival rather than victory in conventional warfare, according to experts.

U.S. officials assert that their mission is straightforward and well-defined.

“We are targeting and eliminating Iran’s ballistic missile systems … destroying the Iranian Navy … and ensuring Iran cannot rapidly rebuild,” Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said during a March Pentagon briefing.

But analysts caution that the picture is more complex.

“It’s a mixed bag,” Nicholas Carl, a fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute think tank and assistant director of the Critical Threats Project, told Fox News Digital. “On one hand, (Iran’s military) is badly degraded across the board, but the regime still retains a significant amount of capability.” 

At the heart of Iran’s military system is a deliberate dual structure: the conventional army, known as the Artesh, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.  (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) Handout via Reuters)

A ‘double army’ built to protect the regime

At the heart of Iran’s military system is a deliberate dual structure: the conventional army, known as the Artesh, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a parallel force created after the 1979 revolution to safeguard the regime.

According to Carl, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has shaped the armed forces throughout decades around one central objective: preserving the Islamic Republic and exporting its revolutionary ideology.

“You need to separate between the IRGC and the regular army,” Middle East intelligence expert Danny Citrinowicz told Fox News Digital. “The IRGC gets all of the budgets — better salaries, better equipment, better everything.”

Carl describes the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a “deeply ideological praetorian guard,” while the Artesh remains a more conventional force tasked with defending Iran’s borders.

But the distinction is not absolute. 

“The IRGC is probably the more dangerous of the two, but we cannot discount the threat that the regular military poses as well,” Carl said.

A big banner depicting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is placed next to a ballistic missile in Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran, in 2024. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Missiles remain Iran’s most powerful weapon

Iran’s missile program remains the backbone of its military power, even after extensive strikes.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force has spent years building what Carl describes as the largest missile inventory in the Middle East.

U.S. officials say those capabilities have been significantly reduced with recent strikes. 

“Iran’s ballistic missile shots fired are down 86% from the first day of fighting,” Caine said in a Pentagon briefing earlier in March, adding that drone launches have dropped by roughly 73%.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in the same briefing that the campaign has sharply limited Iran’s ability to sustain attacks. 

“The enemy can no longer shoot the volume of missiles they once did, not even close,” he said. 

But even U.S. officials acknowledge the threat persists. 

“Iran will still be able to shoot some missiles … and launch one-way attack drones,” Hegseth said.

Carl said the decline in fire has plateaued.

“Iranian missile and drone fire has dropped precipitously … about 90% since the war began… but that number has been consistent for weeks,” he said. “That means they still retain enough capability to sustain strikes across the region.”

Citrinowicz offered a similar assessment. 

“They suffered blows, but still hold the ability and still have the capacity to launch missiles for weeks to come,” he said.

U.S. estimates cited by Carl suggest roughly a third of Iran’s missile capabilities remain active.

“The regime still does have a significant capability to threaten targets across the region … especially as it demonstrates the ability to shoot beyond 2,000 kilometers,” Carl said.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s navy commander Alireza Tangsiri, who was killed by the Israelis on March 26, 2026, at an exhibition in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran, in 2024.  (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

A navy built to disrupt global trade

The Pentagon says it has made major gains against Iran’s naval forces.

More than 140 Iranian vessels have been damaged or destroyed, according to U.S. Central Command.

Caine said U.S. forces have “effectively neutralized” Iran’s major naval presence in the region.

But analysts warn that Iran’s naval threat was never dependent on large ships.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy is built around “area denial capabilities,” including fast attack craft, mines, missiles and drones designed to swarm adversaries and disrupt maritime movement.

“They still have the capacity — speedboats, drones, surface-to-sea missiles — allowing them to block the Strait of Hormuz,” Citrinowicz said.

Carl cautioned against a common misconception.

“It’s not technically accurate to say the Strait of Hormuz is closed … Iran is selectively denying access … firing at some ships while allowing others to pass,” he said.

“Iran has to do very, very little to achieve a meaningful effect.”

A Fighter aircraft is seen at the first underground air force base, called “Eagle 44” at an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained Feb. 7, 2023.  (West Asia News Agency/Handout via REUTERS)

Air superiority, but not total control

U.S. officials say the campaign has achieved major progress in the air.

“We will have complete control of Iranian skies, uncontested airspace,” Hegseth said.

Caine added that U.S. forces have already established “localized air superiority” and are expanding operations deeper into Iranian territory.

But Iran’s air force was never the centerpiece of its strategy. Years of sanctions have left it reliant on aging aircraft and limited modernization, making it far less capable than its Western or regional adversaries.

“There is definitely a setback … but Iran was never built on an air force,” Citrinowicz said.

Instead, Iran relies on missiles, drones and layered defenses.

On the ground, Iran retains a key advantage: its forces have largely not been directly engaged. (Morteza Nikoubazl/Nur Photo via Getty Images)

Ground forces remain largely intact

On the ground, Iran retains a key advantage: its forces have largely not been directly engaged.

The Artesh ground forces, which include tens of brigades, are positioned primarily to defend Iran’s borders, according to Carl’s report.

“The ground troops are still intact, nobody has invaded Iran,” Citrinowicz said.

He noted that ground forces are increasingly launching drones, signaling a broader shift in how Iran fights.

Proxy network extends Iran’s reach

Beyond its borders, Iran’s military power is extended through a network of proxy forces managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.

Carl said the Quds Force provides “leadership, materiel, intelligence, training and funds” to allied militias across the Middle East, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.

“The ‘Axis of Resistance’ is the central mechanism by which Iran can further regionalize the conflict … to endanger as many actors’ interests as possible,” Carl said.

Iranian soldiers take part in a military parade during a ceremony marking the country’s annual army day April 17, 2024, in Tehran, Iran.  (Getty Images)

Built to survive, not to win

Iran’s military is also structured to confront internal threats, reinforcing its core purpose: regime survival.

The result is a force built on redundancy, asymmetry and endurance.

Even after weeks of sustained strikes, Iran retains enough capability to continue launching missiles, harassing global shipping and leveraging proxy forces across the region.

It may be weakened, but it remains strategically dangerous. 

“We cannot discount the threat that the Iranian military poses,” Carl said, “it remains a force capable of threatening regional and international security.”

High-ranking officials at the Pentagon are increasingly worried about the rapid depletion of the United States’ Tomahawk missile reserves, just a month into the conflict with Iran.

To date, the U.S. military has fired 850 Tomahawk missiles. These missiles, which cost between $2 million and $3.6 million each depending on their type, are highly valued for their ability to strike targets up to 1,000 miles away, eliminating the need to put pilots in harm’s way.

Inside the Pentagon, there is growing unease over the dwindling missile stockpiles, primarily due to the challenges associated with producing these sophisticated cruise missiles.

As one official confided to the Washington Post, the current inventory levels are ‘alarmingly low.’

Another source highlighted that the situation is nearing ‘Winchester’ status, a military term used to indicate a complete depletion of ammunition.

Though the total Pentagon’s stockpile of the munitions is a closely guarded secret, only a few hundred Tomahawks are made each year. Only 57 were purchased last year, according to the defense budget.

Now, officials are urgently discussing whether Tomahawk missiles in other theaters, like the Indo-Pacific, may need to be shipped to the Middle East as the US continues its offensive against the Islamic Republic. 

Tomahawk cruise missiles have been a staple of American military might since they were first used in the Gulf War by George H W Bush. 

One Pentagon official told the Washington Post that US Tomahawk cruise missile stockpiles are ‘alarmingly low’ 

Tomahawks can be launched by US surface vessels or submarines

But the widespread usage of the bespoke military tech in the US war in Iran has rattled some Pentagon officials who are now sounding the alarm about the depleted Tomahawk stockpiles.

The Pentagon hit back against the unnamed officials’ concern in a statement to the Daily Mail. 

‘The Department of War has everything it needs to execute any mission at the time and place of the President’s choosing and on any timeline,’ Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. 

Officials are also discussing how to ramp up production of the cruise missiles to meet heightened demand.  

Military planners are tracking the burn rate of the Tomahawks and calculating how many the US may need for not only its war against Iran, but also how many may be needed for other potential conflicts, sources told the Post. 

Tomahawks allow the US military to communicate with the missile via satellite, striking pre-programmed targets or locating new targets in real-time using GPS.

They can also hang above the battlefield, with a camera on board which can relay a live feed of other strikes to commanders.

Many were fired in the opening days of Operation Epic Fury, including one which struck an elementary school, leaving 165 people dead, in the Iranian city of Minab.

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D Black (DDG 119) fires a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) in support of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026 in the Mediterranean Sea

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the US has taken control of Iranian airspace, meaning that aircraft can fly in place of the sophisticated missiles and drop gravity bombs.

But this still carries risk. A US F-35 stealth fighter was struck over enemy airspace last week and was forced to make an emergency landing at a US base in the Middle East.

The Pentagon has also fired more than 1,000 air-defense interceptor missiles in response to Iranian retaliatory strikes across the region, including from the Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems.

These are some of the most advance in the world and the US also has a limited stockpile of these munitions, which cost far more than the cheaper missiles and drones fired by the Islamic regime. 

The depleting inventory of missiles could cause headaches for the administration in a prolonged campaign with Iran as it tries to force open the Strait of Hormuz amid rising oil and gas prices.  

Oil prices climbed higher on Friday after two Chinese vessels were blocked from transiting the Strait, indicating that Iran is dug-in for the fight.

International benchmark Brent crude futures rose 2.8 percent to $111 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate futures pushed higher by 2.7 percent to $97. 

Donald Trump appears to understand the importance of building out the US’ arsenal of high-end weapons. 

Videos from within Iran show the devastating impact of Tomahawks 

Just a week into the war, the President invited executives from the largest US defense manufacturers to the White House for a meeting. 

Trump confirmed that the companies agreed to ‘quadruple’ production of the ‘exquisite-class’ weaponry, including hypersonic missiles and others with high-precision, long-range capabilities, like the Tomahawk cruise missile. 

RTX, a prime US defense contractor whose executives attended the White House meeting, is the sole manufacturer of the weapons. They are made at a plant in Tucson, Arizona, and are used by some US allies, like the UK and Australia. 

Tomahawks have been used to strike targets deep within Iran’s borders without putting US soldiers at risk, while Iran has been forced to use much of its ballistic missile inventory to strike back. 

Though just how many ballistic missiles Iran has to counterattack remains a mystery, multiple sources told Reuters on Friday. 

They told the outlet that the US can only determine with certainty that it has destroyed one-third of the Islamic Republic’s arsenal. 

The condition of another third of Iran’s ballistic missiles is more hazy, but officials believe they are likely buried under rubble, damaged or destroyed. 

In a significant development within Illinois, a newly proposed bill in the state legislature could have far-reaching implications for law enforcement operations. This legislation, introduced just a day before a tragic incident involving the death of Sheridan Gorman, seeks to prohibit the use of biometric identification systems by police. This move has sparked concern among law enforcement veterans, including a former chief of detectives from the Chicago Police Department, who warns that such a ban could hinder police efforts statewide.

The case in question involves the arrest of Jose Medina-Medina, a 25-year-old Venezuelan national, who was apprehended on Friday following the alleged murder of Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old student from Loyola University Chicago. The incident reportedly occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning, marking a devastating loss for the community.

Medina-Medina, who entered the United States in 2023 and was initially detained by the U.S. Border Patrol before being released under the Biden administration, is accused of having fatally shot Gorman on a pier around 1:06 a.m. on March 19. The arrest report outlines these details, further intensifying the spotlight on the legislation in question.

Illinois State Representative Kelly Cassidy, a Democrat, introduced the controversial bill, aiming to restrict police use of various biometric tools, including fingerprint-matching technology, facial recognition software, and iris scanning systems. Notably, the bill excludes DNA from the list of prohibited biometric identifiers, according to its text.

This legislation comes amidst growing debate over privacy and the role of technology in modern policing. The introduction of the bill, juxtaposed with the tragic events surrounding Gorman’s death, has heightened the discussion about the balance between civil liberties and public safety, as highlighted by the images of both Rep. Cassidy and the victim, Sheridan Gorman, shared widely on social media.

If the bill was enacted, law enforcement agencies in the state wouldn’t be able to use the Secretary of State’s facial-recognition database.

Illinois House Bill 5521, known as the Illinois Biometric Surveillance Act, was introduced on Feb. 6.

Jose Medina-Medina, a Venezuelan national, was also arrested for shoplifting and released before the alleged murder, DHS confirmed.  (DHS)

Notably, Medina-Medina was identified with the help of facial recognition. Images of the suspect were sent to a police database, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection identified the suspect as Medina. He was arrested at his apartment in Rogers Park, according to the arrest report.

Retired Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy told Fox News Digital that without the help of facial recognition, his identification and arrest would have “absolutely” been delayed.

“This case was cracked in large part due to looking at the videos from the cameras in the area surrounding the murder and to run them through different systems until they found a match,” Roy said.

Roy said that if passed, the bill’s effects would be “crippling” for detectives.

Sheridan Gorman was killed after being shot in the head while taking a walk with friends at Tobey Prinz Beach, located less than a mile from the Illinois’ campus, around 1 a.m. on Thursday, according to reports. (Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram)

“It’s gonna be just short of crippling detective work,” Roy said. “You have to be able to identify people. When you build a case, it’s not just based on an identification, it’s just not based on a picture, it’s based on the combination of a lot of things. It’s based on identification. It’s based on witness accounts. It’s based on physical evidence. It’s like building a wall. And if you take away the bricks that are at the foundation of that wall, the wall is going to crumble.”

Gorman, just 18 when she was killed, was described by loved ones as someone who radiated an “unmistakable warmth” and poured her energy into things she cared about, like her family, friends and community.

While Gorman is from New York, close ones say she brought that same type of energy to Loyola University Chicago, where she “had begun building the next chapter of her life,” according to her obituary.

Fox News Digital obtained an arrest report that shows Medina-Medina was seen unmasked while waiting for an elevator in his apartment building’s lobby. An engineer for the building told detectives that he knew the suspect, noting he had a “very distinct limp and gait.”

Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman poses with the school’s mascot during a campus event in an undated photo. (Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram)

That gait, in addition to a positive identification from facial recognition, resulted in Medina-Medina’s arrest.

Medina-Medina told officials in 2023 that he was living at Leone Beach Park fieldhouse in Rogers Park in 2023, which was being used as a city-sponsored shelter for migrants. The shelter closed in 2024, according to South Side Weekly.

In an earlier statement to Fox News Digital, the Gorman family said they are disappointed with policies that allowed Medina-Medina to remain in the country.

“When systems fail—whether through release decisions, lack of coordination, or unwillingness to act—the consequences are not abstract. They are real. And in our case, they are permanent,” the family wrote.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Cassidy said that people shouldn’t look at “anecdotes.”

“Just as with all bills introduced in our body, HB5521 is a work in progress aimed at curtailing the abuses of biometric data we’ve most recently seen during Operation Midway Blitz. It is tragic that some people want to use individual tragedies to justify the use of flawed technologies that risk the private information of millions in our state,” Cassidy said. 

“Rather than look at anecdotes, we should know that facial recognition technology is demonstrably inaccurate. It is curious that in discussing this issue, we hear about particularly heinous and troubling crimes, but nothing about people being misidentified by facial recognition technology and held for hours (if not days) based on system errors. House Bill 5521 does not limit state and local police from investigating crimes. It simply protects the privacy of millions of Illinois residents simply because they have an Illinois driver’s license.”