The US Department of Defense's inspector general has confirmed that the war with Iran has led to significant munitions shortfalls and industrial bottlenecks in resupply, directly contradicting President Donald Trump's repeated claims that American ammunition supplies are "virtually unlimited."
The independent watchdog's report, published on Monday, provides a rare, first-of-its-kind glimpse into US weapons stockpiles — data that is typically classified.
According to the report, the United States spent more than $22 billion on munitions between February and June, resulting in what the inspector general described as "strategic inventory shortfalls." Overall US spending on the war from 28 February to 30 June totaled $33.4 billion (£24.7 billion), including $3.7 billion in equipment losses and $7.4 billion in other expenditures.
The report also identified "industrial base bottlenecks" hampering munitions resupply, and noted that the Defense Department is now working to "streamline procurement processes and production lead times" in order to address the shortages and "respond rapidly to a contingency."
Over the course of the conflict, US forces have expended large quantities of both long-range ground attack systems and air and missile defense systems used to intercept incoming Iranian attacks.
A late July estimate from the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that stocks of some interceptors — including the Patriot missile and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, known as THAAD — were significantly depleted, in some cases by more than half. The inspector general's report did not disclose exact remaining inventory figures.
Among confirmed equipment losses are four F-15E fighter jets, one F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and 30 MQ-9 drones destroyed in what the report describes as "various circumstances."
Trump and senior administration officials have consistently pushed back against reports of shortages. In a post on X on 4 August, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called news reporting on the shortages "not true." In a lengthy Truth Social post on 3 September, Trump stated that the US had "virtually unlimited" amounts of ammunition and is "stockpiling and preparing for any contingency that could happen." He has previously described such reporting as "fake news" and "treasonous."
The White House was contacted for comment on the discrepancy between the president's statements and the inspector general's findings.
When US and Israeli strikes began, Trump repeatedly said the conflict would be over within weeks. More recently, he indicated it might not end until "right after" the November midterm elections.
Public support for the war has declined. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released in early September found that only 23 percent of Americans — and only half of Republicans — believe the United States is in a stronger position regarding Iran compared with before hostilities began.
