US authorities report admits ammunition shortages due to Iran war

A US agency report confirms what the government has long denied: the Iran war has depleted US ammunition supplies. The financial implications are also becoming clearer.

Washington. A U.S. Department of Defense regulatory agency has acknowledged ammunition shortages as a result of the Iran war in its first official report to Congress. The consumption of ammunition as part of “Operation Epic Fury” caused “strategic inventory gaps” and “revealed bottlenecks in the defense industry when it comes to supplies,” said the report published on Monday.

To reduce these shortages, the Defense Department is working to streamline procurement processes and production lead times and stockpile critical materials, components and select munitions "to respond quickly in an emergency," it said.

The report was written by the Pentagon's Inspector General, an independent agency within the department. It covers the period from April 1st to June 30th.

US ammunition stocks have been a politically explosive issue since the war began at the end of February. Defense Minister Pete Hegseth has repeatedly rejected reports of ammunition shortages.

US President Donald Trump had also repeatedly opposed such reports and threatened people who spread them with long prison sentences. On Monday, he wrote on his Truth Social platform that the United States was producing more weapons “than ever before in our history.” These would be delivered daily to military forces in the Middle East and beyond.

Eleven US soldiers died in action

According to the findings, the war also caused significant damage to American military bases. Hundreds of buildings and other facilities at US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan were damaged or destroyed by Iranian attacks.

Dozens of drones and aircraft were also damaged or destroyed. These included up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones, each worth around $30 million. Seven KC-135 tanker aircraft were also damaged or destroyed.

Another KC-135 crashed in Iraq after colliding with another KC-135. Six soldiers were killed. These deaths, as well as the death of a pilot whose helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea, are listed as deaths from non-hostile events. Eleven additional soldiers are listed as “killed in action” in Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

War costs billions of dollars

At the end of July, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth put the known costs of the war at $37.5 billion. Damage to U.S. buildings in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is estimated at an additional $184 million. In addition, around 9,000 US citizens were flown out of countries in the Middle East and Europe.

The State Department estimated additional costs related to the war at $113 million in early June. Almost 80 million of that went to emergency measures, including spending on evacuations. US citizens left the country by plane, land and sea. The operation cost the ministry more than $11 million by the end of June.

According to the State Department, more than $44 billion in arms deals have also been made since the war began on February 28. The largest part came from Saudi Arabia. Sales included helicopters, ammunition and advanced precision weapons. These transactions are sales to other countries, not additional war costs for the USA.

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