▲ President Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump has suspended a large-scale attack on Iran after receiving a briefing from his aides that the U.S. military is running short of air defense missiles in the Middle East, the New York Times (NYT) reported on the 25th (local time).
According to sources cited by the NYT, during a closed-door meeting between President Trump and his aides the previous day, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine said that while resuming major combat operations against Iran was possible, it would dangerously deplete the interceptor missiles available to the U.S. military.
Concerns were raised that if the war escalates, stockpiles of air defense assets, including Patriot interceptor missiles already depleted in the Middle East, could be dangerously depleted.
Just a few days earlier, some U.S. defense officials and military commanders believed President Trump was leaning toward approving the first phase of a multi-stage bombing campaign against Iran.
The Department of Defense also deployed additional military assets to the Middle East, including aerial refuelers capable of supporting a full-scale airstrike on Iran.
In fact, President Trump said in an interview with the U.S. online media outlet Axios on the 23rd, "We are looking at a massive attack. Bigger than any attack we've ever had," adding, "We are fully prepared."
However, the NYT explained that President Trump appeared to have put the bombing plans against Iran on hold on this day as the military leadership assessed that ammunition stockpiles to defend U.S. forces stationed in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were dwindling.
U.S. military bases in these countries have faced intense attacks by Iran over the past two weeks.
A large-scale U.S. attack would trigger fierce retaliation from Iran, placing a heavier burden on U.S. air defense networks.
Last April, the NYT reported that since the outbreak of the war with Iran, the U.S. had exhausted more than 1,200 Patriot missiles and other weapons, bringing stockpiles down to concerning levels.
A single Patriot missile costs more than 4 million dollars (approx. 5.9 billion won).
Weapon inventory conditions deteriorated further entering this week.
Sources said that few among President Trump's aides believed the plan to expand the war with Iran was wise.
One senior official expressed skepticism over whether resuming major combat operations could bring Iran back to the negotiating table, worrying it could backfire by rallying Iran's internal unity and focusing its attention on external threats.
With the U.S. military halting its airstrikes against Iran on the 24th after 13 consecutive days, bringing the two-week campaign to a pause, the armed conflict between the two sides has entered a lull for now.
However, military tensions in the Middle East remain high as clashes intensify between the pro-U.S. oil-producing nation Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen.
(Photo: Getty Images)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.