Heber Nasser – Middle East Eye May 12, 2026
Tehran builds new technology from captured US missiles
Iranian armed forces are reverse-engineering US-made Tomahawk missiles recovered during the US-Israeli war to replicate their technology, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.
Mehr reported that missiles shot down by Iran’s air defences or those that failed to explode after impact are now being studied by military engineers.
Mehr said some of the Tomahawk missiles were recovered partly intact after their detonation systems failed or were disrupted by Iran’s electronic warfare capabilities.
The agency said Iran is using these missiles to develop its own missile systems.
“In the 40-day war, Iran’s strategy switched to gaining knowledge from the battlefield. Every Tomahawk missile that landed and did not explode was an advanced textbook for Iranian engineers,” Mehr reported.
Mehr’s claim has not been confirmed by other sources. However, Iranian officials have said they have detonated or neutralised American and Israeli munitions since a ceasefire took effect on 7 April.
On the last day of the war, the ILNA news agency published an image showing an unexploded missile that struck part of Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, identifying it as a Tomahawk.
Iran has faced international sanctions on buying and selling weapons since 1979. Over the decades, it has used similar methods to develop its own missiles and drones.
Uncertainty over housing for people displaced by war
Conflicting reports on temporary accommodation have left people who lost their homes in Tehran during the 40-day war unsure where they will stay.
Since the war began, Tehran’s municipality has said residents whose homes were destroyed in US-Israeli attacks could stay in city hotels for free until they found new housing or rebuilt their homes.
But on Saturday, the Etemad daily reported that some displaced Iranians staying in hotels in the capital had been told to leave by the end of the week and find alternative housing.
One resident, whose home was severely damaged in an explosion, told Etemad: “I have nowhere to go. The fire department and the Red Crescent say my house is uninhabitable. Even if it was not destroyed, there are no stairs left in the building for me to reach my apartment.”
A day after the report, Tehran Municipality spokesperson Abdolmotahar Mohammadkhani said those affected should contact the municipality so their cases could be handled.
He said the city had placed 6,677 people in 45 hotels and housing complexes, adding: “As long as their housing problems are not solved, the municipality will cover all accommodation costs.”
Of course they are. Then they reverse engineer the factories and supply chains to make all the plastic, cables, computer chips and rocket fuel to power them. Not to mention the software, operating systems and GPS satellites that guide them. Next they’ll be reverse engineering your dog.
They have this stuff because your side sells it to them. Because they’re the same people.
Iran will also find out why those duds didn’t work so they can make them work. The savings in time, development costs, materials sampling and missile testing will be huge. They know the Tomahawk flies and can find its targets. They mostly need to find out why some don’t go ‘Bang!’