Trump vows to find ‘leakers’ after reports of depleted Iran war munitions

The Trump administration has repeatedly pushed back on reports of shortages of both offensive and defensive weapons.United States President Donald Trump has vowed to hunt down “leakers” after several news reports detailing a dangerous depletion of munitions stockpiles amid the Iran" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="38342" data-entity-type="event">US-Israeli war on Iran.While several reports had previously documented munitions depletions since the war began on February 28, the latest reports painted a more dire picture.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Why are US Republicans losing faith in War Secretary Pete Hegseth?list 2 of 3War on Iran: US-Iran deal edges closerlist 3 of 3Could the Iran war derail Donald Trump’s legacy?end of listReuters news agency and CBS News reported that the military had burned through nearly all of its offensive Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMSs) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs), which experts said could require relying on more perilous close-range and aerial attacks in the event of a renewed escalation.A CNN report showing low levels of Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors has caused greater concern, with experts noting there is no viable short-term alternative to the air defence missiles. Replenishments of pre-war stockpiles are expected to take years.Still, Trump on Thursday again denied that the US faced any strategic disadvantage when it came to weapons stores after five months of war.“The US has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.He added that “large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed” and that defence contractors are “building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history”.“The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long-term jail sentences will be sought!”The US president did not provide further details on the claims, although experts have warned that even with an influx of funding, it will likely take at least three years to restore Patriot and THAAD interceptors to pre-war levels.Only Japan and Germany currently have licences to produce Patriot interceptors. No other country produces THAAD interceptors.