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NYT: US has below 1,700 Patriot missiles left amid Iran operation

08 August 2026 23:42 (UTC +04:00)

US military operation against Iran has significantly depleted American arsenals, leaving the Pentagon with fewer than 1,700 Patriot interceptor missiles, APA reports citing The New York Times.

According to the report, the Donald Trump administration "has worked with military contractors to try to accelerate and expand production but even accounting for those efforts, it could take more than two years for the United States to replenish the more than 1,500 Patriot air-defense interceptor missiles that have been used in the Iran war." Two people briefed on the matter told the newspaper that the current US stockpile stood at fewer than 1,700 missiles.

Dwindling inventories are forcing the Pentagon to redeploy ships, aircraft and air defense units from Asia and Europe to the Middle East, a move that the newspaper said was having "cascading consequences" for equipment maintenance and troop morale. According to the report, some US officials fear South Korea and Japan will doubt the ability of the United States to protect them