Drones, missiles, or nuclear bombs: What weapons does Iran have to retaliate against Israel with?

Israel’s strikes against nan Iranian superior of Tehran and targets astir nan state connected sites claimed to beryllium linked to its atomic programme reportedly killed respective apical subject officials arsenic good arsenic atomic scientists. 

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian warned successful a televised address connected Friday that a “strong” consequence to Israel would beryllium coming, successful summation to nan 100 drones already launched. 

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will springiness a severe, wise, and beardown reply to nan occupier regime,” he said, referring to Israel.

Euronews Next takes a look astatine what options Iran could usage to onslaught backmost against Israel successful ray of this astir caller escalation successful their protector war. 

‘The worst Iranian consequence mightiness beryllium nan astir likely’

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s premier minister, said this targeted subject cognition was launched against Iran to support nan state from producing a atomic weapon.

Hours earlier Israel’s attack, nan International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concluded that Iran was not complying pinch nonproliferation obligations. 

According to experts, 1 of Iran’s options successful nan aftermath of nan strikes could beryllium to proceed processing atomic weapons that Israel sees arsenic an “existential threat”. 

“Israel has opened a Pandora’s box: nan worst Iranian consequence mightiness besides beryllium nan astir likely, a determination to retreat from its arms power commitments and build atomic weapons successful earnest,” according to an analysis from Kenneth Pollack, vice-president for argumentation astatine nan Middle East Institute successful Washington. 

The outrage astatine nan Israeli onslaught could mean that Iran tin “no longer beryllium connected nan proverbial atomic obstruction and that it has to unreserved for a explosive aliases consequence ne'er having one,” according to an study from Jonathan Panikoff, head of nan Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative. 

“For galore Iranian leaders, an Iran without a atomic limb (or nan imaginable to person one) is an existential threat to nan endurance of nan authorities itself,” Panikoff continued. 

A caller IAEA study recovered that Iran enriched uranium up to 60 per cent, which is simply a short method measurement distant from weapons-grade levels (which is often considered by nan IAEA to beryllium 90 per cent uranium). 

The agency said it couldn’t verify nan country’s full uranium proviso since 2021 but estimates it would beryllium astir 9,247 kg arsenic of May 17, 2025. The magnitude of enriched uranium to 60 per cent is 408.6 kg nan study continued. 

However, estimates from Washington’s Institute for Science and International Safety successful 2022 believed that it’s “well pinch Iran’s capabilities” to modify atomic weapons to get them to activity pinch 60 per cent uranium. 

Israeli authorities officials claimed successful nan Times of Israel connected Friday that Iran now has capable uranium for 9 atomic weapons and is taking steps to “weaponisation” aliases build a atomic bomb. 

According to reporting by The Associated Press, Iranian officials person agelong insisted that their atomic proliferation programme is peaceful. 

An ‘aggressive pursuit’ of a caller Iranian atomic woody needed

A atomic Iranian consequence would play retired complete nan agelong term, Pollack added, pinch a imaginable Tehran withdrawal from nan Nuclear Proliferation Treaty and nan country’s 2015 atomic agreement. 

The champion strategy, according to Pollack, is an “aggressive pursuit” of a caller atomic woody pinch Tehran, but it's improbable immoderate woody will hap now, “when Iran’s activity will beryllium slightest willing successful one, fixed their apt outrage astatine nan Israeli attack”. 

Without a caller deal, Pollack argues Israel has inflicted a short-term setback to Iran’s atomic programme, but to guarantee a atomic threat “not agelong thereafter”. 

American and Iranian negotiators were owed to meet successful Oman for a sixth information of talks regarding Iran’s atomic programme connected Sunday, according to nan Associated Press. 

Any early woody pinch Iran should besides see rocket restrictions, according to an study by Farzin Nadimi from nan Washington Institute for Near-East Policy. 

What different weapons does Iran have?

There are different options that Iran could return to retaliate against Israel, including a drone aliases rocket offensive, experts added, though nan state could beryllium outmatched by Israel’s defence system, dubbed nan “Iron Dome”. 

The US Office of nan Director of National Intelligence said successful 2024 that Iran possesses nan Middle East’s “largest ballistic rocket arsenal,” and continues to “emphasize improving nan accuracy, lethality, and reliability of these systems”. 

A caller threat appraisal from nan US subject recovered that Iran fields a “large quantity” of ballistic, cruise missiles and drones that tin onslaught passim nan region. 

The country’s defense manufacture has a “robust improvement and manufacturing capacity,” for low-cost weapons for illustration drones, nan study continued. 

US General Kenneth Mackenzie told a Senate committee proceeding successful 2022 that nan Iranians person complete 3,000 ballistic missiles of various types that could scope Tel Aviv. 

Mackenzie besides said nan Iranians had made “remarkable advances” connected their ballistic missiles contempt “a very important punishment regime”. 

This arsenal includes medium-range systems that could scope Israel, nan Arabian Peninsula, aliases southeastern Europe, Nadimi added. His study added that these missiles are believed to boast hypersonic velocities, manoeuvring warheads, decoys, and penetration aids. 

For example, authorities media reports declare Iran has utilized nan Fattah-1 hypersonic rocket against Israel successful nan past. 

It has been described by analysts to CNN arsenic having a warhead pinch a manoeuverable reentry vehicle, which intends it tin debar rocket defenses by making mini adjustments during its flight. 

Last month, Iranian media reported that officials debuted a caller domestically-produced solid-fuel rocket called nan Qasem Basir. 

Aziz Nasirzadeh, Iran’s defense curate brigadier general, claimed successful section media that nan rocket had a scope of astatine slightest 1,200 km and is designed to evade systems for illustration nan US-made Patriot system. 

The rocket tin besides place circumstantial targets among decoys and is immune to physics warfare, he added.

Iran besides has precocious successful “solid-propellant technology” which facilitates quicker rocket launches to dispatch satellites, thing that could beryllium adapted to intercontinental missiles, Nadimi added. 

Israel’s astir caller onslaught besides targeted ballistic rocket and drone installations, making it much analyzable for Iran to respond, according to Rachel Whitlark pinch nan Atlantic Council. 

Pollack said that Iran could besides equine a cyber violative against Israel, because location is simply a grounds of it doing truthful successfully successful 2023, erstwhile it unopen down energy successful immoderate Israeli hospitals. 

Still, Pollack wrote that location are “uncertainties” astir nan cyber capabilities of some Israel and Iran. 

“It's not wholly clear what cyber weapons Iran has up its sleeve aliases what vulnerabilities it whitethorn person discovered successful Israel’s infrastructure,” he said.