Iran has begun some of its drone production as the wobbly ceasefire was declared in April, in a quicker pace than anticipated, as per US intelligence, CNN has learnt.
The sources familiar with the development said that replacing missile sites, launchers and production capacity for key weapons systems destroyed during the current conflict indicates that Iran still remains a persistent threat to the region.
The rebuilding of the military capacities also contradicts the claims by the US that Iran's capabilities have been 'decimated'.
US intelligence estimates indicate Iran could fully reconstitute its drone attack capability in as soon as six months, a US official told CNN.
"The Iranians have exceeded all timelines the IC had for reconstitution," the US official told CNN.
Drone attacks by Iran are a headache for the regional countries because if US President Donald Trump starts bombing Iran, it may retaliate towards its neighbours.
Iran's catalyst towards rebuilding has been the support it gets from Russia and China and also the fact that the US and Israel did not inflict as much damage as the two countries had hoped, one of the sources told CNN.
For instance, China provides Iran with components during the conflict that can be used to build missiles, two sources familiar with US intelligence assessments told CNN, though that has likely been curtailed by the ongoing US blockade.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS last week that China is giving Iran "components of missile manufacturing" but declined to elaborate further.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun has rubbished the claims. He said that the allegation is "not based on facts".
Meanwhile, Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told CNN in a statement that "America's military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President's choosing."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
