PNN – US media have reported that a depletion of weapons stockpiles has prompted the United States to alter its combat tactics regarding Iran.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; NBC—citing informed officials—reported that the depletion of US weapons reserves has become so severe that the military has decided against intercepting every missile and drone fired at US and allied bases across the region.
In this regard, a US official speaking on condition of anonymity told The Intercept that the United States would allow missiles to bypass its defense shields only if the attack was assessed not to endanger the lives of American troops.
According to a March analysis by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the United States and its allies expended more than 11,000 munitions—including large quantities of defensive missiles—in just the first 16 days of a war with Iran.
At the time, the report predicted that if the United States continued firing missiles at the same rate, U.S. forces would exhaust their stockpiles of THAAD interceptors within approximately one month.
A subsequent report by the center the following month warned that replenishing Patriot and THAAD missile inventories to pre-war levels would take three years or more from today.
Regarding the Iranian attack on a U.S. base in Jordan, The Intercept noted that such strikes demonstrate Iran’s continued capability to target bases and kill U.S. troops in the region—despite recent claims by Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth (Secretary of Defense) that Iran’s military capabilities had been destroyed.
The outlet reports that following the collapse of this fabricated claim, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is refusing to provide details regarding the number and scope of the attacks. Major Emma Thompson, CENTCOM’s media operations officer, told The Intercept: I have no information to provide on this matter.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed to The Intercept that since July 9, Iran has attacked at least nine U.S. bases and positions in the Middle East. The source added that several bases sustained “heavy” damage during these attacks.
Shortage of Interceptor Missiles and Tactics to Penetrate Air Defenses
The U.S. official emphasized that Iranian military forces have succeeded in saturating and penetrating U.S. air defense systems by employing a combination of suicide drones and advanced ballistic missiles.
According to the official, several factors make countering these Iranian missiles difficult: hypersonic speeds, sophisticated navigation capabilities—including methods to bypass electronic warfare systems—and the ability to guide or maneuver some of them while in flight.
The U.S. official confirmed that Iran had also recently attacked “Tower 22” on Jordan’s northern border with Syria. Satellite imagery and videos circulating online show extensive damage to the base.
In April, Hegseth had told the Senate Armed Services Committee that CENTCOM has taken all possible measures to protect the troops.
However, speaking to The Intercept, a U.S. official addressed this matter and emphasized that Hegseth’s claims were “clearly false.”
Multiple reports by The Intercept indicate that hundreds of U.S. troops have been killed or wounded in this war, and that official Pentagon figures are the result of a “deliberate cover-up” intended to understate the actual casualty numbers.