Washington, 6 March 2026 (dpa/MIA) - Iran's air defences and missile capabilities have been completely or largely destroyed, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday.

"Their anti-aircraft weapons are gone. So they have no air force. They have no air defence. All of their airplanes are gone," Trump said.

The US president added that 60% of Iran's missiles and 64% of their launchers had been taken out.

"As soon as they set off a missile, within four minutes, the launcher gets hit," he said.

The information could not be independently verified. Alongside Iran's nuclear programme and navy, Washington had previously identified the country's missile programme as a key war objective.

Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) who oversees military operations in the Middle East, said at a parallel press conference that Iran was now firing significantly fewer missiles.

"If I just look back over the last 24 hours of the operation, compared to where we were at start, ballistic missile attacks have decreased by 90% since day one," Cooper said.

"Drone attacks have decreased by 83% since day one," he added.

MIA file photo