Iran War Leaves America 'Impoverished', Weapon Stockpiles Completely Depleted

The United States’ decision to launch joint strikes with Israel against Iran has backfired, draining the superpower’s resources instead of forcing Iran to submit. A CNN International report indicates that the US military is becoming ‘impoverished’ in its supplies of key missiles due to the war with Iran. Experts and three sources highlight that this creates short-term risks, with the US potentially running out of ammunition in future conflicts.

Over the past seven weeks of war, the US military has expended at least 45% of its Precision Strike Missile stockpiles. Additionally, half of the THAAD missile supplies for intercepting ballistic missiles have been used up. Nearly 50% of the Patriot air defence interceptor missile stockpiles have also been depleted due to the ongoing war. These figures are based on a new analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Sources indicate that these numbers align with classified Pentagon data on US ammunition stockpiles, as cited by CNN International on Wednesday (22/4/2026).

Earlier this year, the Pentagon signed a series of contracts to expand missile production. However, delivery timelines for replacing these systems range from 3-5 years, even with increased capacity, according to CSIS experts and other sources.

In the short term, the US is likely to maintain enough bombs and missiles to continue combat operations against Iran if the fragile ceasefire fails.

However, the remaining critical ammunition in US stockpiles is no longer sufficient to confront a peer adversary like China. It could take years for these weapon stockpiles to return to pre-war levels, according to the CSIS analysis.

‘High ammunition expenditure has created an increasing vulnerability gap in the western Pacific,’ Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine Corps Colonel and one of the CSIS report’s authors, told CNN International.

‘It will take one to four years to replenish these stockpiles and several more years after that to expand them to the required levels,’ he added.

In a statement to CNN International, Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said the US military has everything needed to carry out missions at the times and places chosen by Trump.

‘Since President Trump took office, we have conducted several successful operations across combat commands while ensuring the US military is fully armed to protect our people and interests,’ he stated.

The US military has also expended around 30% of its Tomahawk missile stockpiles, more than 20% of its long-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM), and about 20% of its SM-3 and SM-6 missiles, according to the analysis and sources. Replacing these systems will take around 4-5 years.

These missile calculations from CSIS and several other sources starkly contrast with recent claims by Trump. Trump asserted that the US lacks no weaponry, even as he requested additional funding for missiles due to the impact of the Iran war on existing stockpiles.

‘We are requesting [additional funds for the Pentagon] for many reasons, even beyond what’s happening in Iran,’ Trump said last month.

‘This is a small price to pay to ensure we stay at the top,’ he added.

The Trump administration’s recent deals with private companies should boost production. However, short-term deliveries of these key munitions remain relatively low due to past small-scale orders, according to CSIS notes.

Before the war began, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine and other military leaders warned Trump that a prolonged military campaign could impact US weapon supplies, particularly those supporting Israel and Ukraine, as previously reported by CNN International.

Since the conflict’s outset, Democrats on Capitol Hill have voiced concerns about the amount of ammunition used and its implications for US defence in the Middle East and beyond.

‘Iran does have the capacity to produce many Shahed drones, ballistic missiles, medium-range, short-range, and they have very large stockpiles,’ said Democratic Senator from Arizona, Mark Kelly, last month.

‘So at some point, this becomes a calculation issue. How do we resupply air defence ammunition? Where will that ammunition come from?’ he asked.