US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz on Sunday vehemently pushed back against reports that critical American munitions stockpiles are being dangerously depleted as the Iran war rages on.
Waltz balked at the notion that US strikes on Iran have drained America’s arsenal and said that while the war in Ukraine may have drained some US supplies, the country has more than it needs to take on Tehran.
“I want to be crystal clear: The US 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,” Waltz told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“I have to tell you, the people that are leaking this nonsense deserve to be in jail.”
Waltz said that for one thing, the US is turning to newer different munitions technologies that are cheaper to carry out operations in Iran.
“A lot of stockpiles were depleted not only from what we gave Ukraine over the last however many years, four or five years. And Secretary Hegseth inherited a depleted situation from not only Ukraine but also the ongoing fight with the Houthis under the Biden administration,” Waltz contended.
President Trump has similarly and repeatedly downplayed concerns about US munitions stockpiles.
Sunday marks the second day the US hasn’t attacked Iran as Trump has seemingly paused strikes and Iran responded similarly.
Before that, Trump had reportedly been contemplating a major escalation, but rumors swirled that concerns about the US stockpiles were a factor in his decision against doing so for now.
Waltz, asked if Trump has decided against pursuing threatened escalation, replied, “I wouldn’t go that far at all.
“The president is keeping all options on the table,” he said. “What the president is doing right now, as we’ve seen all along, is giving the talks some space. Talks are ongoing.”
Waltz said there is “internal fighting” going on within Iran that “makes it hugely challenging from a diplomatic standpoint to get to some reasonable resolution.”
The brief pause in attacks occurred after roughly two weeks of resumed US strikes against Iran. America reupped its assaults when the Islamic Republic made repeated attacks against vessels in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month.
Last week, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth testified before lawmakers in Congress seeking a $67 billion supplemental package for the Pentagon amid concerns that funding is running dry because of the cost of the war.
