Donald Trump’s move to step back from further strikes on Iran has set off fresh concern in Washington, where officials are increasingly worried that depleted US missile interceptor supplies could invite adversaries such as Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping to test American resolve in Europe and Asia.
According to CNN, senior military advisers, along with Vice President JD Vance, cautioned Trump that extending the campaign against Iran risked burning through vital Patriot interceptor reserves, potentially leaving US troops and installations across the Middle East more vulnerable.
Both Washington and Tehran paused their attacks over the weekend, with officials saying the President halted a 13-day stretch of military action in an effort to open a window for diplomacy.
But the decision to ease off Iran because of concerns over US weapons stockpiles may carry wider geopolitical consequences, potentially benefiting two of America’s most powerful rivals: Putin and Xi.
US officials fear the shortage of interceptors is already being factored into calculations in Moscow and Beijing, with Putin possibly looking to increase pressure on Ukraine and NATO’s eastern edge, while Xi may be weighing moves against Taiwan, the New York Times reported.
Patriot missile interceptors are among the most sought-after weapons in the US defense inventory, and manufacturers have struggled to match the pace at which they are being used in both the Middle East conflict zone and the war in Ukraine.
The pressure on America’s air defense supplies has been mounting for months, forcing Washington to juggle deliveries to Kyiv with the protection needs of US bases and allied forces in other strategic regions.
The White House, however, has repeatedly rejected claims that US stockpiles are running dangerously low. Karoline Leavitt has maintained that the military retains the resources needed to carry out any mission ordered by the President.
US officials fear the shortages are shaping decisions in Moscow and Beijing and that Putin is weighing renewed pressure on Ukraine and NATO’s eastern flank, and Xi is considering action against Taiwan
Trump’s top military advisers and Vice President JD Vance warned the President that continued strikes on Iran could dangerously deplete US stockpiles of Patriot interceptors, leaving American forces across the Middle East exposed
The US and Iran have both halted strikes on Monday as officials claim the President ended 13 consecutive days of attacks to create space for diplomacy
Iran has responded to recent US attacks by launching drone and missile attacks at American bases and other Gulf nations
Iran has used recent propaganda to threaten Trump’s life
As officials worry Putin will exploit the shortfall in Ukraine, the war there has spilled into Iran’s northern waters. Ukraine struck vessels in the Caspian Sea on Saturday, and Tehran says one of them was an Iranian commercial ship.
The strike caused an explosion that killed one sailor and injured several others, according to Iran’s foreign ministry, which summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran to protest what it called a hostile and criminal act.
Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had hit vessels used to carry military cargo involving Iran, along with a Russian warship.
Tehran insists the ship was commercial and that it has never intervened in the Russia-Ukraine war.
The US and Iran had signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding in mid-June, opening a 60-day window to negotiate over freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, and sanctions relief.
Those talks began in Switzerland and quickly stalled over the strait, and the deal collapsed this month after Iran struck commercial vessels.
The US answered with a nightly bombing campaign against Iranian command centers and missile sites and reimposed its naval blockade.
Trump also ordered US forces to disable tankers bound for Kharg Island and threatened to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant every time a ship was attacked.
Iran has spent recent weeks launching waves of ballistic missiles and suicide drones at US bases in the Middle East
US forces have targetted Iran’s military capabilities along the Strait of Hormuz to stop the regime from attacking commercial ships
Iran responded to each round by firing on US bases in neighboring Gulf states, attacks that killed at least four American soldiers.
Diplomacy now rests on talks in Tehran between Iranian and Omani deputy foreign ministers over shipping through the strait.
Oil markets reacted to the stalled fighting with some positivity as Brent crude fell more than seven percent on Monday to around $89 a barrel, its lowest in a week, after touching $102 last week.
