New American intelligence evaluations show that Iran continues to maintain a substantial portion of its military strength, despite losses sustained since the conflict with the United States and Israel began.

Figures cited by The New York Times indicate that Tehran still controls about 60% of its missile launcher systems and approximately 40% of its unmanned aerial vehicle fleet.

Friction between Washington and Tehran has intensified again after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps moved to shut down the Strait of Hormuz once more, less than a day after announcing it had reopened the vital waterway following the ceasefire in Lebanon.

The development triggered an urgent high-level security meeting at the White House, where senior U.S. officials cautioned that absent a diplomatic breakthrough within 24 hours, hostilities could resume in the near future.

President Donald Trump, who had voiced confidence earlier in the week that an agreement was within reach, responded forcefully to Iran’s latest actions. “They are trying to be clever,” Trump said during the White House meeting. “They wanted to close the strait again, but they cannot blackmail us.”

{Matzav.com}