The United States has significantly depleted several key offensive and defensive missile stockpiles during its five-month war with Iran, according to multiple reports published on August 4, raising concerns about the military’s readiness for future conflicts.

Key Offensive Missiles Nearly Exhausted

According to a Reuters report citing multiple sources familiar with the matter, the U.S. Army has used “virtually all” of its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles. The depleted weapons are primarily the Army’s surface-to-surface Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). The U.S. has also expended nearly half of its worldwide inventory of Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The heavy use of these long-range precision weapons reflects a deliberate strategy by the Trump administration to avoid riskier air operations involving piloted aircraft over Iranian territory.

Air Defense Interceptors Severely Depleted

Beyond offensive missiles, stockpiles of key air defense systems have been particularly depleted. According to CNN, citing two sources familiar with the latest inventory report, the U.S. military has burned through nearly four-fifths of its THAAD missile inventory and roughly half of its Patriot interceptors since the start of the war.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates that before the Iran war, the United States had approximately 2,200 Patriots (of the platform’s two most-modernized variants) and 452 THAAD missiles. The Pentagon now reportedly has only about 20% of its THAAD missiles and 50% of its Patriot missiles remaining.

Military Readiness Concerns

The reported drawdown has sparked concerns within the Trump administration and the Pentagon over the military’s preparedness for future conflicts, particularly with rivals such as China and Russia. Sources told Reuters that officials were increasingly worried that declining missile reserves could undermine Washington’s ability to deter adversaries.

Military analysts say such long-range munitions would be indispensable in any potential conflict with China, given Beijing’s sophisticated air defence network. Analysts also caution that while certain munitions are being produced at record levels, supplies might fall far short of what is needed for a prolonged war.

Trump’s Weekend Strike Decision

The stockpile issue was raised prior to President Trump’s decision last weekend to cancel new strikes on Iran, marking at least the second time in recent weeks that Trump’s senior military advisers have voiced concerns about dwindling munitions during discussions about potentially escalating the conflict.

Official Responses

Responding to the reports, the White House issued a statement from Trump saying the U.S. had “far more munitions than anyone in the world” and “far more than we need”. “Our defense companies are, at this moment, making more munitions than they have ever made before, in addition to expanding their plants and equipment at record levels,” Trump said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the CNN report on social media, calling its headline “untrue” and labelling it “fake news”. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement: “America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing”.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) also affirmed that the Pentagon is fully capable of supplementing the Middle East region by transferring missiles from military depots in various other areas around the world.