The US Department of War (Pentagon) acknowledged in a report published Monday that the war in Iran has caused “shortages” of ammunition, an issue that the Donald Trump administration had largely refused to confirm over the past several months.
A Pentagon inspector general’s report on the US operation against Iran said that “ammunition consumption during Operation Epic Fury caused shortages in strategic stockpiles and exposed industrial-base bottlenecks that are hindering the replenishment of ammunition inventories.”
The report also pointed to measures taken by the department to accelerate production.
When media reports emerged in June that the United States was restricting the use of its missiles, particularly interceptor missiles, the government denied the claims, while Trump said the country had “huge quantities of ammunition.”
In early September, the US president continued to insist that the United States had “unlimited quantities of ammunition.”
According to media reports, the ammunition shortages prompted Trump to refrain from resuming large-scale attacks on Tehran during the summer.
The Pentagon report said that “despite the extensive use of interceptor missiles, Iranian strikes damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and facilities at US bases” across the Middle East.
The document detailed damage to the US aircraft fleet, including the destruction of four F-15 fighter jets, damage to an F-35 aircraft, damage to or destruction of seven KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft, and the destruction of “up to 30” MQ-9 Reaper drones.
The report, which covers the period from April through June 2026, estimates that more than 50,000 US service members were involved in the war in the Middle East, which began on February 28 with Israeli and US strikes on Iran.
It said Iranian and allied retaliatory attacks also damaged diplomatic buildings in four countries: Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
US President Donald Trump said Monday that he had received a report stating that the United States is producing advanced, high-end weapons at rates higher than at any time in its history.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the weapons are being delivered daily to US forces in the Middle East and other regions.
He said US defense manufacturers are operating around the clock, seven days a week, while each company is building an average of four to five entirely new, large-scale industrial facilities.
Trump said the main focus of manufacturing is on Patriot missiles, THAAD systems, Tomahawk missiles and other standard missile systems, of which the United States already has large stockpiles.
Source: AFP
