Iran Conflict Puts US Weapons Stockpiles Under Pressure
President Donald Trump’s war against Iran has pushed U.S. weapons stocks to worrying levels and forced Washington to divert supplies from Europe and Asia, according to senior officials. Experts warn that shortages of air-defense missiles and other key weapons could weaken U.S. military readiness and embolden Russia and China.
The campaign has used thousands of missiles worth millions of dollars. Many require specialized components from global suppliers and take years to produce. U.S. air-defense stocks have fallen sharply while defending against Iranian attacks, delaying deliveries to European and Asian customers. The Pentagon has also moved ships, aircraft and air-defense units from Europe and Asia to the Middle East. U.S. and Western officials say the deployments have reduced American military strength in those regions and affected equipment maintenance and troop morale.
Tom Karako of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the depletion of weapons was a major setback for conventional deterrence and could influence decision-making in Beijing and Moscow for years.
The administration is working to speed up production, but replacing more than 1,500 Patriot interceptors used in the war could take over two years. The U.S. currently has fewer than 1,700, according to two people familiar with the stockpiles.
President Trump has ordered an investigation into leaks about the shortages while publicly downplaying the problem. Ukraine has also been affected, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Western deliveries of air-defense missiles have fallen threefold this year from 2025.
Source: New York Times
