President Donald Trump said on Aug. 6 that the United States has “massive amounts” of munitions, saying that “large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed.”
The president’s social media comments followed anonymously sourced reports from Reuters, CBS, and The Washington Post that the United States was running low on certain armaments.
Reuters, citing anonymous sources, reported on Aug. 4 that the U.S. Army had used up much of its global stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during the war with Iran.
CBS reported on July 23 that the U.S. stockpile of interceptors, such as the Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile systems, had begun to dwindle due to the rapid pace at which they were being used in the conflict.
CBS also stated that the anonymous officials who divulged this information noted the limited inventories of these systems and that the most pressing concern is the faster-than-replacement rate of use for Patriot and THAAD interceptors.
The Washington Post, on Aug. 5, also citing anonymous sources, reported that Trump had clashed with War Secretary Pete Hegseth at Camp David over the issue, with the president allegedly saying he had been misled over how serious the shortage was.
All these reports were denied by either the White House or the Pentagon at the time.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she was at Camp David with Trump and Hegseth and that reports of any tensions between the two were inaccurate.
“This literally never happened, and we told the Washington Post that repeatedly,” Leavitt said in an Aug. 6 post on X. “This [expletive] story was shopped to many outlets by someone clearly out to disparage the Secretary, for whatever reason. Unfortunately for them, the President loves the Secretary and thinks he’s doing a tremendous job. FAKE NEWS!”
In his Aug. 6 post on Truth Social, Trump said that “defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history.”
“‘[The] leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down,” he said. “Long term jail sentences will be sought!”
Trump’s statement followed Hegseth’s Aug. 4 rejection of a CNN report that cited unnamed sources saying U.S. military stockpiles of key missile interceptors had fallen to “dangerously low” levels amid the ongoing war with Iran.
U.S. Army Tactical Missile System fires a missile into the East Sea during a South Korea–U.S. joint missile drill aimed at countering North Korea’s ICBM test, in East Coast, South Korea, on July 29, 2017. South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty Images
CNN earlier reported that, according to anonymous sources, the U.S. military had used up nearly 80 percent of its missile interceptors since the war with Iran began in late February.
The CNN report also alleged that the U.S. Army had exhausted “virtually all” of its long-range surface-to-air weapons in military operations against Tehran.
Hegseth took to social media to refute the report, calling it false news.
A U.S. soldier rehearses reloading a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 6, 2019. Army photo by Capt. Adan Cazarez
“That banner is NOT TRUE, CNN. Shame on you,” the Pentagon chief said in a post on X. “We don’t hate the Fake News media enough.”
Hegseth was referring to a CNN on-screen banner stating that unspecified sources claimed that U.S. military stockpiles of key missile interceptors were “dangerously low.”
Peace Negotiations
Trump said on Aug. 5 that the United States and Iran had held “very good discussions” on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz but warned of hard action if Tehran refused to open the waterway.
“The Strait’s going to be open very soon, or they’re going to get hit very hard,” the president said in a Fox News interview.
Ships in the Strait of Hormuz on April 26, 2026. U.S. Navy via Getty Images
Trump said the United States is prepared to launch “a tremendous attack” against Iran, which he said would be “the biggest since World War II.”
He warned that such major strikes could occur if Iran backed out of negotiations again.
Trump told reporters before departing Los Angeles on Aug. 4 that talks with Iran were “moving along very nicely” and that the outcome would be known within 48 hours.
Aldgra Fredly contributed to this report.
