Updated March 27, 2026 at 3:25 PM MDT
The United States has only been able to confirm about one-third of Iran's missile arsenal has been destroyed after a month of war, a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, told NPR.
The news came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio said destroying Iranian missiles and weapons systems was among the administration's top war objectives and that the operation is "ahead of schedule" and will conclude "in a matter of weeks, not months."
Here are more updates on Day 28 of the Iran war.
To jump to specific areas of coverage, use the links below:
Iran's missiles | G7 meeting | Zelenskyy in Middle East | Attacks continue | Global economy
A third of Iran's missiles are destroyed
The Trump administration has reported major progress in destroying Iran's missiles and call it one of the war objectives. But the government has not released figures.
A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, told NPR that the U.S. has only been able to confirm the elimination of around one-third of Iran's missile capabilities.
The intelligence assessment on missiles destroyed was first reported by Reuters.
Iran's missile program consists of multiple elements: factories that make the weapons, launchers that fire them, and the missiles themselves.
Speaking to reporters about the administration's war aims Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: "We are going to basically destroy their ability to make missiles and drones in their factories. And we're going to substantially — and I mean dramatically — reduce the number of missile launchers so that they cannot hide behind these things to build a nuclear weapon and threaten the world."
Rubio repeated what other the administration has been saying for weeks — that the operation is "ahead of schedule."
The U.S. military has said Iranian missile attacks have dropped dramatically since the early days of the war. Still, the missiles, along with drones, remain Iran's most effective weapons.
G7 discusses Middle East
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the war in Iran with foreign ministers from leading European nations and Japan in France on Friday.
Despite differences over the war, the Group of Seven (G7) issued a joint statement calling for the "immediate cessation of attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructures" and the restoration of "safe and toll free freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz."
After the G7 meeting in Vaux-de-Cernay, France, Rubio warned that Iran may try to set up a toll system in the strait.
About a fifth of the world's oil typically passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway off Iran's coast, but most ships have been blocked from transiting it during the war.
The meeting came a day after President Trump again slammed NATO — a military alliance that includes most of the G7 — for failure to help secure the strait.
Rubio told reporters Friday "this is not going to be a prolonged conflict" and he said the objectives could be achieved "without any ground troops."
His remarks came as thousands of Marines and Army troops are headed to the Middle East.
Zelenskyy in the Middle East
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise trip to Saudi Arabia and discussed defense cooperation with the Gulf country.
"We have reached an important Arrangement between the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on defense cooperation," Zelenskyy wrote on social media, sharing images of his sit-down with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "It lays the foundation for future contracts, technological cooperation, and investment. It also strengthens Ukraine's international role as a security donor."
Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry says it has intercepted hundreds of drones and dozens of ballistic missiles fired at it from Iran in counterattacks from the U.S.-Israeli war.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine can share expertise and systems after resisting a Russian invasion now in its fifth year.
"Saudi Arabia also has capabilities that are of interest to Ukraine, and this cooperation can be mutually beneficial," he added.
On Thursday in a video message to a military alliance of northern European countries, the Joint Expeditionary Force, Zelenskyy said: "The key is not only producing new weapons — especially drones — not just technology, but also real experience in using it, and integrating it with radars, aviation, and other air defense systems. We have this experience."
He also told France's Le Monde newspaper Ukraine wants to make a deal to acquire air defense missiles from Middle Eastern countries.
Attacks continue on all fronts
The Israeli military said overnight it struck ballistic missile production sites and air defense systems across Iran.
"In strikes carried out across Tehran, the IDF targeted infrastructure and sites used by the regime to produce weapons, with an emphasis on ballistic missile production facilities," Israel's military said in a statement, using its initials.
"In western Iran, the Air Force, guided by Military Intelligence, struck the Iranian terror regime's fire arrays throughout the night. Among the targets struck were launchers and missile storage sites that pose a threat to the State of Israel," it said.
In Lebanon, the Israeli army issued another forced evacuation order as it pushes north in the fight against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Israel was also under attack Friday, reporting a salvo of missiles from Iran.
And the Gulf states continued to suffer collateral damage. On Thursday night, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had struck at U.S. bases in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait in the Gulf using missiles and drones.
Kuwait reported its port was attacked by drones, while sirens sounded in Bahrain and Qatar briefly issued a heightened security alert.
Global economy is getting hit
Loading...
The war and Iran's virtual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — through which one-fifth of the world's oil typically passes — have economists worried.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) expects the war to boost consumer prices globally and slow economic growth in the United States, the United Kingdom and other advanced economies.
The Paris-based organization raised its forecast for global inflation to 4% this year. In the U.S., it predicts 4.2% inflation.
"The halt in shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and the closure and damage of some energy infrastructure has generated a surge in energy prices and disrupted the global supply of energy and other important commodities, such as fertilisers," the OECD said Thursday. That drives up the cost of commerce and increases demand and inflation, it said.
The OECD cut the U.K.'s 2026 gross domestic product growth forecast to 0.7% — down by half a percentage point from the previous forecast of 1.2%.
On Thursday, stocks on Wall Street suffered their largest daily decline since the war began, falling as oil prices rose sharply. Asian shares mostly fell early Friday.
Asian countries, which get most of their oil and gas through the waterway, have been making contingency plans. Japan plans to temporarily lift restrictions on coal-fired power plants, according to the Japan Times. Vietnam has temporarily waived an environmental tax to reduce gas prices by more than a quarter, as Channel News Asia reported.
The Philippines has declared a national energy emergency and transportation workers have been staging protests.
Finland's president, Alexander Stubb, warned in an interview with Politico this week that the Iran war could trigger a global recession that is worse for the economy than the coronavirus pandemic.
Eleanor Beardsley in Paris, Emily Feng in Van, Turkey, Michael Sullivan in Chiang Rai, Thailand, Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg, and Greg Myre and Alex Leff in Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 NPR
