US and regional officials said Iranian attacks had become more complex during the war, involving different types of missiles, multiple trajectories and manoeuvres, and varied warheads in an effort to confuse US defences and increase the consumption of interceptor missiles. Officials familiar with the matter said Iran had used warheads against US forces that split into a larger number of projectiles as they approached their targets.
Patriot missile consumption in Jordan attack
The United States also used more than 12 interceptor missiles from the THAAD system, an official said, while another official estimated that the level of consumption was close to what had been used over an entire week during other periods of the war. Officials said Iran had launched more than 1,500 ballistic missiles and 6,000 large drones during the war.
Pentagon denies US munitions have run out
They added that US air-defence units had destroyed thousands of Iranian projectiles while protecting military bases, energy infrastructure and residential areas. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, meanwhile, denied reports that US munitions had run out, describing them as “completely untrue”.
He said the US military remained “the strongest and most capable fighting force in the world”, arguing that publishing such reports could encourage Washington’s adversaries to provoke or attack its forces. An official said some older Tomahawk missiles had been refurbished in an effort to increase the US weapons stockpile.
Former Arab and US officials also warned that imposing harsh economic sanctions could prompt Tehran to respond militarily by targeting infrastructure they described as vulnerable, potentially placing additional pressure on the US stockpile of interceptor missiles. These assessments come amid reports of a decline in the US stockpile of precision munitions, against the backdrop of the war it has been waging alongside Israel against Iran since February.
