US President Donald Trump said that the country has a huge stockpile of ammunition and rejected claims in some media that the shortage of weapons influenced his decisions to take military action against Iran, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
“The United States has a huge stockpile of ammunition, and significant quantities continue to be produced and delivered as needed“, Trump wrote on his social network “Truth Social“.
The US president described the reports of the arms shortage as “treasonous“ and said that the individuals who provided the information are “currently being sought“ for prosecution. He said they would face "long sentences."
His comments came after CNN and The Washington Post reported that the US military was facing a shortage of long-range guided missiles and interceptors for air defense. The reports said this had an impact on Washington's strategy toward Iran.
CNN reported that the US military had used up about 80 percent of its stock of interceptors for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system. The Washington Post reported claims that Trump reacted sharply to the information and demanded explanations from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt and Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell described these publications as “fake news“.
According to “The Washington Post“, the alleged shortage of ammunition was among the factors that influenced Trump's decision to change his position and announce a halt to new attacks on Iran, despite his previous statements of readiness for large-scale strikes.