Trump Denies US Ammunition Depleted by Iran War
United States President Donald Trump has denied reports that American ammunition supplies are dwindling to alarming levels because of the war against Iran, asserting that the US has stockpiles far exceeding its needs.
Senior US military commanders, as reported by Anadolu Agency and Reuters on Wednesday (5/8/2026), acknowledged that US ammunition supplies are running low. Meanwhile, US allies in the Gulf region have voiced concerns about shortages of air defence systems.
A report by leading US media outlet CNN stated that the US military has used nearly 80 per cent of its stock of interceptor missiles and about half of its Patriot missiles since the war with Iran began in late February. Citing sources familiar with the matter and based on current inventory assessments, CNN reported that senior US commanders have privately described the Pentagon’s overall ammunition reserves as being at very low to dangerously low levels. The report also noted that previously unreported shortages of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems are compounding existing concerns regarding Patriot missile supplies.
According to the report, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated that before the war broke out, Washington had approximately 2,200 units of the most modern Patriot missile variants and 452 THAAD missiles. Gulf states that depend on US-supplied air defence systems have warned that the shortages could weaken their ability to intercept Iranian missiles and drones, particularly if they face retaliatory strikes following US attacks.
A similar report from Reuters, citing three sources familiar with the data, stated that the US military has used most of its supply of high-precision long-range missiles during the five-month war against Iran. These long-range missiles include ground-to-ground Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). According to two sources cited by Reuters, the US has used nearly all of these weapons. The drastic depletion of long-range precision missile stocks means Trump may have to rely more on riskier manned bombing missions if he launches another large-scale attack on Iran.
When asked for a response to the reports of dwindling ammunition supplies, the White House released a statement from Trump issuing a denial. In his statement, Trump insisted that the US has far more ammunition than anyone else in the world and far more than we need. Our defence companies are currently producing ammunition in unprecedented quantities, while simultaneously expanding their factories and equipment to record levels, the US President said.