President Donald Trump has countered recent claims of dwindling U.S. munitions in the conflict with Iran. In a Sunday interview with the Wall Street Journal, he declared that the U.S. military possesses “far more munitions than anyone in the world, and far more than we need.” His administration remains steadfast in exploring diplomatic avenues while keeping the option of military escalation open.
Trump’s remarks refute reports from the New York Times and other sources, suggesting that concerns over a decrease in Patriot and other air defense interceptors were influencing discussions on whether to intensify military actions against Iran. Meanwhile, efforts to diplomatically reopen the Strait of Hormuz continue.
On NBC’s Meet the Press and Fox News Sunday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz echoed Trump’s sentiments. He assured viewers that “the U.S. military, and I’ve verified this every which way, has everything that it needs to conduct this campaign as effectively as it needs to be,” while emphasizing that Trump is “keeping all options on the table,” allowing for diplomacy to take its course.
In his Meet the Press appearance, Waltz remarked, “I have to tell you, the people that are leaking this nonsense deserve to be in jail.” He acknowledged past strains on military resources due to support for Ukraine and actions against the Houthis, predating Trump’s administration. Waltz highlighted efforts to replenish stockpiles and a strategic pivot toward newer, cost-effective munitions and innovative technologies.
On Fox News, Waltz outlined the administration’s clear focus on undermining Iran’s threats to commercial shipping and regional peace. He commented, “the Iranian regime is isolated, economically devastated, militarily devastated,” emphasizing Tehran’s financial struggles, including difficulties in compensating government officials and military personnel.
The administration’s public defense of its military readiness follows reports that Trump postponed a planned expansion of the U.S. air campaign after meeting Friday with senior advisers, amid a broader debate over the costs and risks of escalating the conflict while diplomatic efforts continued.
According to the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, U.S. military planners had prepared an expanded campaign that could have lasted up to two weeks before Trump opted to allow diplomacy additional time. The newspaper reported that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine informed senior officials about declining inventories of Patriot and other air defense interceptors, while assessing that lower stockpiles would increase operational risk but would not prevent renewed military operations if Trump ordered them.
Separate reporting by Axios on Sunday said U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper recommended ending the current bombing campaign around the Strait of Hormuz unless the United States intended to transition into a broader military operation, concluding that the existing campaign had largely achieved its objectives and that most designated targets associated with those strikes had already been exhausted.
Axios also reported that Cooper believed any renewed large-scale campaign could focus on the remaining designated military targets not struck during the U.S.-Israeli operation, while Trump’s Middle East envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, continued direct and indirect negotiations with Iranian officials through regional mediators. The report added that the sides had reached an informal “quiet for quiet” understanding under which neither side would launch new attacks so long as the current lull holds, while Oman continued efforts to broker an agreement concerning the Strait of Hormuz, though there was no guarantee Trump would ultimately accept such an arrangement.
Trump has continued signaling that diplomacy remains his preferred outcome while refusing to rule out renewed military action. Before Friday’s White House meeting, he told reporters, “Look, we’re locked and loaded. We’re ready to go, but we’re talking to them, so maybe there will be, maybe there won’t be a tipping point.”
In a separate interview with Axios last week, Trump said he was considering “a massive attack” against Iran that would be “bigger than ever before,” while adding that the military was prepared if diplomacy failed. In a phone interview Saturday with a reporter from French outlet LCI, Trump also said he would resume full-scale military operations “if we don’t get 100% of what we want, absolutely.”
Trump continued projecting military pressure Sunday by sharing a series of AI-generated images on Truth Social depicting strikes against Iranian energy and maritime targets, including one captioned “STRIKE ON KHARG,” an apparent reference to Iran’s principal oil export terminal on Kharg Island, along with several other posts emphasizing continued pressure on Tehran even as negotiations remain underway.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for – News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.