Pentagon watchdog confirms US weapons shortages in Iran war

The US defence department’s inspector general has confirmed that the war with Iran has created “strategic inventory shortfalls” and bottlenecks in replacing spent munitions. The finding directly clashes with President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that America has “virtually unlimited” ammunition.

Billions spent as weapons stocks shrink

The independent watchdog said the US spent more than $22bn on munitions between February and June, contributing to depleted strategic inventories. The report did not reveal how many weapons remain, but identified serious “industrial base bottlenecks” slowing efforts to replenish stocks.

US forces have burned through large quantities of long-range strike weapons and air-defence interceptors during the conflict. Earlier estimates suggested stocks of systems including Patriot and THAAD had fallen sharply, in some cases by more than half.

Pentagon faces a race to rebuild stocks

The inspector general said the Defence Department was working to shorten procurement processes and production lead times so it could respond faster to future contingencies. The scale of the challenge is underscored by the wider cost of the conflict.

The watchdog put US spending between 28 February and 30 June at $33.4bn, including $3.7bn in equipment losses and another $7.4bn in other expenditures. A separate Congressional Budget Office estimate placed the overall cost at $38bn, including replacing expended weapons and equipment, alongside higher flying and fuel costs.

Trump’s claims face a fresh test

Trump has repeatedly dismissed reports of shortages as “fake news”, while Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth previously said claims about depleted stocks were “not true”. Trump later said the US had virtually unlimited ammunition and was preparing for any contingency.

The report offers a rare independent glimpse into normally classified US weapons inventories, exposing a sharp gap between the administration’s public messaging and the Pentagon watchdog’s assessment.

War drags on as support weakens

The conflict has also proved far more costly than Trump initially suggested. Among reported US losses are four F-15E fighter jets, an F-35 and 30 MQ-9 drones.

Trump initially predicted the war would end within weeks but has since suggested it could continue until after November’s midterm elections. Public support is also weak, with a September Reuters/Ipsos poll finding only 23% of Americans believed the US was in a stronger position against Iran than before the fighting began.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9gk58xgng0vo