During a closed press conference of the US military with all members of the US Congress at the Capitol on March 3, a representative of President Donald Trump's administration said that Iran's Shahed 136 suicide drones pose a serious problem because the US air defense system will not be able to intercept them all. The TV channel reported this news CNN with reference to sources present at the meeting.
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Cain acknowledged that drones pose a bigger challenge than expected,” the publication said.
Another source familiar with the meeting said officials tried to downplay concerns about Iranian drones and said America's Gulf partners were stockpiling interceptor missiles.
In early December 2025, the Pentagon began deploying attack drones based on Iran's Shahed-136 model. They were developed by reverse engineering from Iranian drones.
