Trump Suspended Strikes on Iran Due to a Shortage of Missiles for the Patriot System — WSJ
The U.S. has postponed a planned large-scale military operation against Iran due to a shortage of interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense systems. According to The Wall Street Journal, the shortage of air defense resources was one of the key factors influencing Washington’s decision to suspend potential strikes.
According to analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, at least 1,500 Patriot interceptor missiles have been used since the start of the war with Iran—leaving the U.S. with fewer than 1,000 units remaining.
“Dwindling ammunition stocks have created a risk in the short term. A war against a powerful adversary like China would deplete ammunition at a much faster rate than this war,” analysts warned in an April report.
The White House, meanwhile, stated that publishing up-to-date data on the use of Patriot and THAAD missiles would threaten national security—precisely because of the high number of interceptors used.
On Friday, the U.S. military was ready to launch an intensive series of strikes against Iran lasting up to two weeks. However, the operation was officially suspended for diplomatic reasons, and in reality—also due to concerns about the risks to air defense stockpiles.
General Dan Kane, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, informed the White House about the depletion of stockpiles. In his view, low stockpiles do not make the operation impossible, but they do increase the risks.
At the same time, Admiral Brad Cooper, who heads U.S. Central Command, believes that intensified strikes will in themselves weaken Iran’s ability to launch missiles, so the shortage is not critical.
Trump publicly dismisses the ammunition issue.
“We have far more ammunition than anyone else in the world, and far more than we need,” he told the WSJ.
On Friday, Trump hinted that the diplomatic option is once again “on the table,” and that U.S. officials are in talks with Iran.
“There’s a military option, where we just keep going as we are now, and we can even ramp it up… Or there’s a smarter strategy—to make a deal. And they want to make a deal,” he told reporters.
According to the administration, Oman and Qatar are trying to facilitate the resumption of negotiations.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
As a reminder, after 13 days of new military strikes against Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the attacks to cease.
The Iranian military announced the suspension of its strikes after U.S. forces refrained from launching new attacks for two days.
During the conflict with the U.S. and the subsequent ceasefire, Iran exported oil worth a total of about $18 billion, according to Mohsen Paknejad, the Islamic Republic’s oil minister.
