RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Forbes — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 3 sources
Topline President Donald Trump denied on Thursday that the U.S. is facing a munitions shortage and vowed to jail the “leakers” responsible for the claims—amid multiple reports suggesting he’s resistant to new attacks on Iran because of the alleged depletion.
Trump made the threat on Truth Social, claiming “the U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types” and said “large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed,” adding “the ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long term jail sentences will be sought!”
Trump made the statement after multiple outlets reported this week that weapons supplies were dwindling.
According to unnamed sources cited by Reuters in a report published Tuesday, the U.S. Army has used “virtually all” of its global stockpile of long-range missiles, which are important not only to the U.S., but also its allies, including Ukraine, which has used the weapons to launch attacks inside Russia.
Without the missiles, which allow the U.S. to attack targets from a safe distance, Trump has been forced to weigh the possibility of using piloted aircraft to deploy bombs, according to Reuters.
Trump also reportedly accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of misleading him about the shortage of long-range missiles and missile interceptors during a meeting at Camp David last week, The Washington Post reported Thursday, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the discussion.
Hegseth reportedly didn’t deny the shortage and blamed his deputy, Stephen Feinberg, for the issue and for leaving Trump out of the loop, according to The Washington Post.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has vehemently denied the exchange between Trump and Hegseth took place, telling The Washington Post the alleged conversation is “100% fake news” and “literally never happened,” adding “President Trump has the utmost confidence in Secretary Hegseth.” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told the paper, “Secretary Hegseth did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture, and he did not blame Deputy Secretary Feinberg. These claims about depleted stockpiles, internal disagreements, the Secretary’s position on Iran . . . are equally fictional.”
In addition to the long-range missiles, the U.S. has also used about half of its global supply of Tomahawk cruise missiles since the start of the war, according to Reuters, citing one of its unnamed sources. Between February and July, it also used about 65% of its Patriot ballistic missile interceptors and 38% of its THAAD ballistic missile interceptors, according to a July report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies . The Washington Post reported previously the U.S. used more than 1,300 of the Army’s tactical ballistic missiles in the initial weeks of fighting, more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles in the first month and more than 1,000 Patriot and THAAD systems.
Trump over the weekend walked back threats to launch major attacks on Iran, part of a pattern of reversals throughout the course of conflict. Trump has said repeatedly in recent weeks he was considering attacking major energy targets in retaliation for strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East and Iran’s continued refusal to give up control over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said he canceled the most recent planned strikes amid progress on a deal to end the war. The reversal came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged Trump to avoid escalating the war, multiple outlets reported. Iran said Thursday it is nearing a deal with Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported, while Trump said Wednesday an announcement on a possible agreement could happen “tomorrow or the next day,” telling reporters, “a lot of progress has been made.”
Trump Says U.S. Will Bomb Key Infrastructure ‘Any Time’ Iran Shoots At Ships In Strait Of Hormuz (Forbes)
Trump Considering Iran Attack ‘Bigger Than Ever Before’ (Forbes)
Trump Says U.S. Will Hit Iran ‘Hard’ After Attack On Troops In Jordan (Forbes)
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.