Iran rebuilds military faster than expected amid reports of support from China and Russia, US intelligence says

The Iranian regime is rebuilding its degraded military capabilities at a faster pace than expected by the U.S. intelligence community, CNN reported on Thursday, with intelligence assessments pointing to support from China and Russia as a key factor in the recovery. Tehran’s military buildup includes restarting production of drones that have been widely used against Iran’s Arab Gulf neighbors.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a U.S. intelligence official told CNN that the regime’s military recovery has “exceeded all timelines the IC [intelligence community] had for reconstitution.”

U.S. intelligence assesses that much of the recovery is driven by support from China and Russia. For instance, China has reportedly provided Iran with critical missile components since the war began on Feb. 28 with Operation Epic Fury. The Chinese Foreign Ministry dismissed the CNN report, saying it is “not based on facts.”

However, the report assesses that Iran is still a formidable foe and is a threat to the Middle East if the U.S. decides to renew its military strikes against Iran. The U.S. Central Command did not comment on the CNN report, however, a Pentagon spokesman said that the U.S. military “has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the president’s choosing.”

Iran’s military buildup comes as Tehran signaled that it is “reviewing” the Trump administration’s latest proposal to end the war.

In early April, ahead of the ceasefire, U.S. President Donald Trump had said that Iran was “decimated” after U.S. and Israeli military forces had eliminated most Iranian leaders and significantly degraded Tehran’s military capabilities. While the Trump administration had likely expected that a significantly weakened Iranian regime would be more inclined to moderate its position in negotiations, Iran’s overall negotiating posture remains largely unchanged. Diplomatic discussions are continuing, even as reports indicate Iran is also pursuing efforts to rebuild aspects of its military capabilities with support from Russia and China.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran is reviewing the latest U.S. proposal, while a regime official has simultaneously repeated demands for ending the war that include the release of frozen assets abroad and an end to the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

On Wednesday, Trump warned that he was prepared to renew the war if the regime did not accept Washington’s demands.

“It’s right on the borderline, believe me,” Trump told media representatives. “If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” the U.S. president warned. While arguing that a new agreement could come “very quickly” or “in a few days,” Trump warned that the Iranian regime would have to provide “100 percent good answers.”

Meanwhile, Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Wednesday that Iran is preparing for a “forceful response” in the event of an attack. “The enemy’s movements, both overt and clandestine, show that despite economic and political pressure, it has not abandoned its military objectives and is seeking to start a new war,” Ghalibaf stated.

The United Arab Emirates Presidential Advisor Anwar Gargash accused Iran of infringing on the UAE’s sovereignty in the Persian Gulf, saying, “The regime is trying to establish a new reality born from a clear military defeat, but attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz or infringe on the UAE’s maritime sovereignty are nothing but pipe dreams.”