Trump denies US ammunition shortage influenced Iran war plans

US President Donald Trump has rejected a report published in The Wall Street Journal suggesting that ammunition shortages were among the reasons his administration decided against resuming a full-scale military campaign against Iran.

Speaking to the newspaper, Trump said the United States has far more munitions than it needs. "We have far more munitions than anyone in the world, and far more than we need," the US president stressed.

Trump’s remarks came in response to the recent Wall Street Journal report in which US officials said the military had been poised to launch an intensive series of strikes against Iran that could have lasted up to two weeks, but the operation was delayed amid diplomatic efforts and internal debate over the impact on shrinking stocks of Patriot and other air-defence interceptors.

According to the outlet, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine had informed the White House of the declining inventories, while noting that CENTCOM leadership believed stepped-up strikes could still manage the constraints by degrading Iran’s launch capacity.

The report said military officials were monitoring inventories of Patriot missiles, Tomahawk land-attack missiles, and SM-3 interceptors, which have been extensively used to counter Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.

According to the report, military commanders, including officials at US Central Command (Centcom), believe current interceptor supplies remain manageable. Officials have also argued that expanding pre-emptive strikes against Iran’s missile-launching capabilities could reduce the need for defensive interceptors.

However, Trump dismissed suggestions that ammunition shortages pose a problem for the US military, calling the reports a “disgrace”. In a post on Truth Social, he claimed the United States has an ample supply of advanced weaponry.

The US president instead argued that Iran is facing growing military constraints. “They’re running out and they’re running out of areas to shoot them, because they’re being decimated,” Trump said, claiming sustained US and Israeli operations have significantly weakened Iran’s missile infrastructure and launch sites.

Separately, Trump shared a series of AI-generated images on Truth Social targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure.

One image depicted warplanes attacking Kharg Island, Iran’s main crude oil export terminal, alongside the caption: “STRIKE ON KHARG”.

He also posted digitally generated images showing him standing with the US flag aboard what appeared to be seized Iranian oil tankers, captioned: **"**It’s Our Oil Tanker now!" Another image appeared to show an Iranian vessel exploding with the words: “NO MORE ENGINES.”