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3. Iran Excavates Hidden Arsenal to Restore Strike Capacity: Report

Iran is using the ceasefire with the United States to recover buried weapons and rebuild its capacity to launch attacks, according to an NBC News report citing a U.S. official and two sources familiar with the matter.

Sources say the Iranian regime has intensified efforts to excavate missiles and other munitions that were either hidden underground or buried beneath rubble following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. The recovery operations suggest a broader strategy aimed at restoring Tehran’s operational readiness in the event that hostilities resume.

Earlier this month, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that intelligence indicators pointed to Iranian efforts to rebuild its military infrastructure.“We know what military assets you are moving and where you are moving them to,” Hegseth said at the Pentagon on April 16.

“While you are digging out — which is exactly what you’re doing, digging out of bombed-out and devastated facilities — we are only getting stronger,” he added. “You are digging out your remaining launchers and missiles with no ability to replace them.”

According to U.S. officials and sources who spoke to NBC, Iran has accelerated these recovery operations in recent days as negotiations appear to have stalled and the risk of renewed confrontation increases.

Experts and congressional aides suggest that Iran may have preserved part of its missile arsenal by using decoys and dispersing weapons across multiple locations prior to the conflict.