US officials warn of challenges posed by Iranian drones

Trump administration officials have told lawmakers during a closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill that Iran’s Shahed attack drones represent a major challenge and US air defenses would not be able to intercept them all, according to sources in the briefing.

The drones, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine acknowledged during the briefing that was held on Tuesday, were posing a bigger problem than anticipated, two sources in the briefing told CNN.

They are known to fly low and slow, a feature that makes them more able to evade air defenses than ballistic missiles, the report noted.

Another source familiar with the briefing said the officials had made an attempt to downplay concerns about the drones and claimed that Persian Gulf state partners had been stockpiling interceptors.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who attended the session, meanwhile, criticized President Trump's refusal to provide Congress with tenable explanations as to why he has ordered the US military to engage in fresh aggression against the Islamic Republic.

"There’s no explanation as to what actually prompted the decision to pursue this war of choice, in the absence of any evidence that there was an imminent threat to the United States of America or American interests in the region,” he said.

Sen. Mark Kelly, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned that “we do not have an unlimited supply."

“The Iranians do have the ability to make a lot of Shahed drones, ballistic missiles, medium range, short range and they’ve got a huge stockpile. So, at some point…, this becomes a math problem and how can we resupply air defense munitions. Where are they going to come from?” Kelly asked.

House Speaker Mike Johnson also called the US involvement "a dangerous operation."

Also on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal published an analysis arguing that Iran’s constant firing of drones and missiles had clearly challenged the United States’ ability to reach its military objectives in the country and its capability to defend allies and assets in West Asia.

US defenses overwhelmed by Iran’s drone and missile barrages: WSJ

Sustained Iranian drone and missile barrages have challenged US forces, an analysis says.

The analysis said US military and diplomatic resources in West Asia were under mounting pressure as the Islamic Republic conducted back-to-back waves of drone and missile assaults on the Israeli regime as well as on the assets of the United States in the region.

Meanwhile, a report published by a prestigious military website showed that existing air defense systems in the world were practically unable to intercept Iran's Fattah-2 missiles.

Iran’s Fattah 2 hypersonic missile nearly impossible to intercept: Report

A new report shows current anti-missile systems are unable to intercept Iran

Military Watch Magazine said the missile, a hypersonic glide vehicle, which has been used against Israeli targets for the first time in the renewed aggression, had created a real challenge for the Israeli regime and the US and their much-boasted anti-missile systems.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has launched at least 17 waves of strikes against sensitive and strategic Israeli and American targets throughout the region in retaliation for the unprovoked aggression.

IRGC announces 'blinding' US, Israel's eye in region; vows harsher retaliation coming

The IRGC announces staging the 17th stage of its ongoing Operation True Promise 4 against Israeli and American targets throughout the region.

The Corps has flown hundreds of ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones towards the targets, including locations in the city of Tel Aviv and the holy occupied city of al-Quds as well as American outposts and interests in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar.

It has also highlighted strikes targeting the US Navy's Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and an American destroyer in the Indian Ocean.

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