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Trump vows to jail ‘leakers’ over reports of munitions shortage
President Donald Trump refutes reports that the U.S. is experiencing a munitions shortage from the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, vowing to jail those suspected of leaking information.
“The U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday. “Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history.”
“The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long-term jail sentences will be sought!”
Trump and the Pentagon have pushed back against various reports that the U.S. military arsenal has been depleted.
Trump’s anger over the reports comes as Iran has shown reluctance to reenter a cease-fire agreement on U.S. terms. Reports of a dwindled munitions stockpile could undermine the U.S. position in ongoing negotiations. Moreover, if the conflict is prolonged, it could further strain U.S. weapons supplies and stoke more global economic pain from disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz.
The war, which began on Feb. 28, already cost taxpayers around $29 billion as of May for expended munitions, equipment repairs, and other operations, although outside estimates put the broader war cost closer to $50 billion. Last month, the Trump Administration asked the Senate for $87 billion in emergency funding, including $67 billion for the Pentagon. War Secretary Pete Hegseth told Senators the funding was needed to “rapidly replenish equipment and munitions,” and included $18 billion to replace advanced Patriot interceptors, Navy Tomahawks, and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missiles.
Multiple news outlets have reported that the U.S. has substantially depleted its global stockpile of key munitions. As early as March, senior officials and lawmakers raised concerns about how large-scale deployment of U.S. missiles could constrain support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Some lawmakers also previously raised concerns that a munitions shortage would weaken the country’s image in the face of its other geopolitical rivals like Russia and China.
And in May, Sen. Mark Kelly (D, Ariz.) publicly shared that it could take “years” to replenish stockpiles of Tomahawks, Patriots, and other munitions that were used in the war. Kelly cited a Department of Defense briefing, as well as Hegseth’s public testimony. Hegseth accused Kelly of discussing classified information, which Kelly denied, and ordered a legal review of his remarks.
Reports about the status of the country’s military arsenal have continued to be a thorn in the side of the Trump Administration.
On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that Trump had confronted Hegseth about a possible shortage on the sidelines of his Cabinet meeting at Camp David last week. Citing unnamed sources, the Post reported that the shortfall of key weapons contributed to Trump calling off major strikes on Iran and making another push for diplomacy. Trump had publicly said he canceled the attack at the request of Iran and Persian Gulf Arab countries, while Iran denied that they did so or that talks were even back on.
The White House and Pentagon denied that the reported Trump-Hegseth confrontation occurred. In another post on Thursday, Trump said of the Post article, “I really believe their fake ‘reporting’ is treasonous!”
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