The United States has depleted almost its entire stockpile of long-range precision missiles during its months-long war with Iran, according to people familiar with the matter, raising questions about President Donald Trump's threat of a massive new attack on Tehran.
The US has used up "virtually all" of its Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), and around half of its global supply of Tomahawk cruise missiles, the sources told Reuters. These weapons allow American forces to strike targets from a safe distance. US Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations, has had to pull replacement missiles from other regions, the sources said.
Military leaders have also warned Trump that stockpiles of defensive weapons, including Patriot interceptors, are dwindling. The US was already short of interceptors before the war, partly because of its efforts to defend Israel during a June 2025 conflict that ended with US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.
The US and Israel first attacked Iran on 28 February. Fighting has continued through the summer despite a June ceasefire brokered through an Islamabad memorandum. Last week, Trump pledged to launch the biggest attack on Iran since World War II. On Monday he backed away, saying Gulf states had urged restraint and that negotiations were under way to restore the ceasefire. Iran denies being in direct talks with Washington.
Iran has received new air defence systems from China and Russia during the war, despite US claims that its air defences were destroyed. In April, an F-15E warplane was shot down over Iran, prompting a large search for its crew.
Ukraine has also used US-supplied ATACMS against Russia, and the US had already moved some air defence systems and troops out of East Asia at the start of the conflict.