The US administration categorically rejected claims that the ongoing conflict with Iran has led to a critical shortage of weapons and precision munitions.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell made an official statement, according to the American news channel CBS News, in which he assured that the US military remains the most powerful in the world and has a deep arsenal of response capabilities anywhere in the world.
The White House's position and the diplomatic response
The statement comes at a time of a temporary lull in air strikes, which has given rise to speculation in the international press that Washington is deliberately holding back operations due to a lack of interceptor missiles and precision weapons. These rumors were further fueled by reports in publications such as The New York Times that security advisers had warned President Donald Trump of the risk of air defense stockpiles running low.
However, Vice President J.D. Vance dismissed these claims as speculative in an interview with Fox News, urging the public not to blindly trust unofficial sources. White House Communications Director Stephen Chung clarified that the pause in bombing was dictated by the desire to give diplomatic efforts through Oman a chance, not by logistical weakness. Chung stressed to the media, including the Indian news network NDTV, that the US is keeping all options open if Tehran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz.
Arsenal Analysis: What the Experts Say?
According to data from the Center for Strategic and International Studies – CSIS, the Pentagon has enough ammunition for every possible scenario in the current war. Risks to US defense capabilities would only arise in the long term in the event of a parallel conflict in the Pacific region, military analyst Mark Cansian told NPR. Currently, the US military-industrial complex is already working at an accelerated pace to recoup the costs of systems such as the Patriot and Tomahawk.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the claims of an “ammunition crisis“ artificially created story during a Senate hearing, quoted by ABC News. Republican Congressman Mike Turner also defended the thesis that the US cannot abandon its mission in the Middle East, as the security of global energy markets is at stake.