Iran produces more missiles than it fires, vows to sustain strikes for years
*Says, on US possible use of nuclear bomb, “Today, things are more different than World War II”
*Naturally it can end up being a mistake for America to use nuclear weapon on Iran – General Naqdi
*Says the next morning after, all America military bases in the world will be occupied
*Assures Iran doesn’t need a nuclear weapon
*Death to America doesn’t mean Iranians are in enmity with people of America but with leadership that has invaded, violated more than 70 countries since becoming a super power – Iranian General
Naqdi, according to reports, said Iran’s missile manufacturing capacity allows it to replenish its arsenal while continuing to conduct attacks. He maintained that the country could continue firing missiles even in a prolonged war, suggesting that Tehran does not believe its adversaries can simply exhaust Iran’s missile stockpile through continued strikes.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed that the country is producing missiles at a rate exceeding the number it is launching, asserting that Tehran would be capable of sustaining missile attacks even if the ongoing conflict continues for years.
Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the newly appointed IRGC Commander-in-Chief, made the claim in remarks reported by Al Arabiya English. His comments amount to one of Tehran’s strongest recent assertions that Iran retains significant missile-production capacity despite sustained military pressure and attacks on its military infrastructure.
According to a video of his interview watched by The DEFENDER, the General was asked: “America has one weapon which Iran doesn’t have, which is the nuclear weapon. In your view, how likely is it for America to use a nuclear bomb?” Responding, he said, “Naturally, it can end up being a mistake for them. The morning after they use the bomb, all of America’s military bases around the world will be occupied.”
Continuing, the Iranian IRGC Commander said, “Today, things are more different than World War II. The people of the world have awakened. No one in the world would allow such a crime to be committed, because the next time it could be themselves.”
Also asked if the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is pursuing a nuclear weapon, he replied, “I would say this clearly,bout nuclear bomb is the hearts of the people of the world that we fighting oppression. Islamic values and divine values of the Islamic revolution are taking over the world. There is no need for nuclear bombs. There is no need for slaughter. If we are victorious, we rely on our faith to be victorious. God is with us.”
Naqdi, according to reports, said Iran’s missile manufacturing capacity allows it to replenish its arsenal while continuing to conduct attacks. He maintained that the country could continue firing missiles even in a prolonged war, suggesting that Tehran does not believe its adversaries can simply exhaust Iran’s missile stockpile through continued strikes.
According to the General, “As for our missiles, the Americans and the Zionists always want to count our missiles. First of all, the number of missiles we manufacture everyday is more than the number we launch. In a country this vast, we can make them wherever we want.”
Where are you making them, is it deep in the ground? He was asked and he replied, “We do it in different ways. We have various ways we can manufacture them securely. Rest assured, even if this war lasts for years, until the last day, Iran’s rockets will be launched. I will make this point, and this is more important than missiles….”
Interjected as to whether it is Iran’s objective to drag out the war until Trump is out of office and he said, “Look, we have to attain deterrence so that the enemy never dates to attack us, so we can live with security. One way is to prolong this war until we get to the next term of the presidency and cause attrition so that if anyone else wants to attack Iran, they would know there is a cost.”
He, however, made it clear that the Iranians calls for death to America do not mean that they are in enmity with the people of America but with their system that has invaded several hundreds of countries in the world without justification and that Iran is here to put a stop to that.
“Look, we have no enmity with the people of America. The meaning of that to America is death to America’s leadership that has invaded or violated more than 70 countries since becoming a super power.”
Iran has a long-established ballistic-missile industry, but the precise scale of its current production, the number of operational missiles remaining and the extent of damage to manufacturing and storage facilities are difficult to establish independently during an active conflict.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH GEN NAQDI INTERVIEW AS POSTED BY ISAAC SHOW
Iran Signals Readiness for a Prolonged War
Naqdi’s statement comes amid increasingly forceful rhetoric from Iranian military officials about Tehran’s ability to withstand a lengthy confrontation.
In a separate recent interview, Naqdi said Iran had learned from the conflict and argued that the United States had failed to achieve its strategic objectives. He also suggested that Tehran could seek to prolong the confrontation as a means of imposing costs on Washington.
The remarks indicate that Iran’s military leadership is presenting endurance as a central component of its strategy: rather than relying solely on the size of its existing missile stockpile, Tehran is emphasizing its ability to continue manufacturing weapons during wartime.
Earlier in 2026, Naqdi similarly claimed that Iran could deploy missiles and drones manufactured during the conflict if hostilities resumed, rejecting assertions that Iran’s strike capabilities had been destroyed.
Missile Production at the Centre of Iran’s Military Strategy
Iran’s ballistic-missile programme has for decades been a central element of its military doctrine. Tehran has developed a broad range of ballistic and cruise missiles and has invested heavily in domestic production to reduce its dependence on foreign suppliers.
The IRGC has played a major role in Iran’s missile capabilities. European Union records have previously identified the IRGC as having operational control over Iran’s ballistic-missile programme, while Mohammad Reza Naqdi has held senior positions within the organisation.
Naqdi has also previously claimed that Iranian missile facilities survived attacks during earlier phases of the conflict. In May, he said the enemy had fired thousands of projectiles and hundreds of surface-to-surface missiles at Iran’s strategic Abu Musa Island, while claiming that Iranian forces remained capable of responding.
Claims of Continuing Production
The latest assertion is particularly significant because missile production capacity may be more important than the size of Iran’s pre-war stockpile if the conflict becomes protracted.
If Tehran is able to manufacture missiles faster than it uses them, as Naqdi claims, sustained attacks could become considerably more difficult to neutralise through attrition alone.
However, analysts and independent observers would need reliable information on production rates, launch rates, damage to factories, availability of components and the quality and types of missiles being produced before determining whether the claim is accurate.
Iran’s military authorities have strong incentives to project an image of resilience. Such statements can serve both strategic and psychological purposes by assuring supporters that the country remains capable of retaliating while warning its adversaries that continued military pressure may not produce a quick victory.
Tehran Rejects Claims That Its Missile Capability Has Been Destroyed
Iranian officials have repeatedly rejected claims that attacks have eliminated the country’s missile infrastructure.
Naqdi previously said Iran could use newly manufactured missiles and drones if fighting resumed, while other Iranian military officials have also claimed that Tehran’s missile stockpile has been replenished faster than expected.
The statements contrast sharply with assessments from Iran’s adversaries, who have repeatedly targeted missile launchers, storage facilities and other military infrastructure in an effort to reduce Tehran’s ability to conduct retaliatory strikes.
The competing claims illustrate one of the central uncertainties of the conflict: neither side has provided enough independently verifiable information to establish the full extent of Iran’s remaining missile capability.
IRGC Takes Harder Line
Naqdi’s remarks also come as Iran’s military and security leadership has adopted an increasingly offensive posture.
Recent reports indicate that Iran has reshuffled senior military leadership and emphasized a doctrine focused more heavily on offensive operations against what Tehran describes as enemy territory. Among the changes was the appointment of hardline figures to senior security and military positions.
That shift suggests that Tehran is preparing its forces not merely to survive continued attacks but to maintain the ability to impose costs on its adversaries.
For Iran, missiles remain particularly valuable because they can threaten military bases and other targets without requiring Tehran to achieve conventional air superiority.
Strategic Message to the United States and Israel
Naqdi’s statement therefore carries a message extending beyond missile production figures.
By claiming that Iran produces more missiles than it launches, the IRGC is effectively warning that attempts to exhaust Iran’s arsenal through sustained attacks may not succeed quickly.
The message is also intended to reinforce Iran’s broader deterrence strategy: any attack against Iranian territory, according to Tehran’s position, could trigger retaliation against military and economic interests belonging to its adversaries.
Naqdi has previously warned that Iran could inflict damage on American economic interests around the world if the conflict reaches a point where Tehran exhausts its missile inventory.
Verification Remains Difficult
Despite the significance of the statement, the claim that Iran is producing more missiles than it launches should be treated as an Iranian military assertion rather than an independently established fact.
There are no publicly available, independently verified figures in the cited reporting that establish Iran’s current daily missile production rate or demonstrate that production consistently exceeds launches.
Nevertheless, the statement provides an important indication of how Iran’s military leadership views the conflict. Tehran is portraying its missile programme as an enduring wartime capability and signalling that it intends to maintain its ability to strike for as long as necessary.
If the conflict continues for an extended period, Iran’s actual ability to sustain missile production—rather than simply the size of its existing arsenal—could become one of the most important factors determining the military balance.
