Trump denies US weapons shortage and says information ‘leakers’ being ‘hunted down’
President Donald Trump has denied reports that the US is suffering a munitions shortage and vowed in a social media post to seek “long term jail sentences” for those suspected of leaking information.
“The U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types,” Trump posted on Thursday morning. “Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the US as needed.”
Trump and the Pentagon face mounting questions about the state of the military’s arsenal, with the war now in its sixth month and a peace deal remaining elusive.
Iran responded to reports of shrinking US supplies by saying its locally produced weapons gave it the ability to respond to “any threat”.
As the US pauses the war with Iran, is Trump really running out of weapons?
“Each day, the signs of the enemy’s diminishing capabilities become more apparent,” Defence Minister Majid Ibn-e-Reza posted on X. “But our Armed Forces – backed by the nation’s defence industry – are fully equipped to respond to any threat.”
He added that “those who are now seeking to buy security and military superiority through imported systems will soon realise that Iran’s indigenous technology is superior to any system in the region”.
After the US spent vast quantities of difficult-to-manufacture weapons during the combat operation known as Operation Epic Fury and the tit-for-tat strikes since, the Trump administration has sought to assure Americans that the country’s missile stockpiles remain robust.
CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, reported the US has gone through much of its global stockpile of long-range precision missiles during the war, citing two unnamed sources with direct knowledge of the subject.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday evening that Trump had confronted Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth last week over a possible weapons shortfall, also citing unnamed sources. The BBC has not confirmed the report.
“The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down,” Trump said in the post on Truth Social. “Long term jail sentences will be sought!”
He directly addressed the Washington Post’s story in a later post, saying: “I really believe their fake ‘reporting’ is treasonous!”
“I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing,” he also posted.
Precise information on US missile stocks remains classified. Since becoming secretary, Hegseth has sought to put in place strict controls limiting the information that reporters can gather from the Pentagon, as well.
Using publicly available data, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a national security think tank, estimated that by the end of July, the US had between 759 and 827 Patriot missiles left – about a third of the 2,330 available before the conflict began.
It also estimates the US has now used around 60% of terminal high altitude area defense (THAAD) missiles, which are deployed to intercept strikes, Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel and senior adviser at CSIS, said on Wednesday.
The US is facing demand for its weapons beyond the conflict with Iran, which could also put a strain on supplies.
It has given Ukraine significant numbers of Patriot missiles since Russia invaded in 2022, but as US stocks shrink Cancian expects the Pentagon will hold onto them. At a cabinet meeting on Friday, Trump told reporters that granting Ukraine’s recent request for additional Patriot missiles would be a “big step”, but the two countries were “still talking about” it.
Many modern weapons have long funding, order, production, and delivery timelines, making it hard to swiftly replace munitions once they are used.
The administration has consistently stated the US has enough in its stockpile.
Trump told the Wall Street Journal last month: “We have far more munitions than anyone in the world, and far more than we need.”
Hegseth, meanwhile, called reports of a stockpile shortage a “manufactured story” on a 14 June appearance on CBS’ Face the Nation.
But the administration has also indicated it is ramping up production, with Hegseth saying the US was working quickly to manufacture more weapons.
Last month, he asked the US Senate for emergency funds totalling $87bn (£68bn) to pay service members and “rapidly replenish equipment and munitions.”