The United States has chosen to hold off on a major strike on Iran due to a short supply of air defense missiles. The missile shortage can be blamed on a number of things; however, the main idea is that the US chose to “donate” a large chunk of its war supplies to Ukraine.

US Halting Some Weapons Shipments To Ukraine As Own Military Stockpiles Plummet

Iran and the US have exchanged strikes for nearly two weeks since a fragile ceasefire reached in spring collapsed. Both sides are also accusing each other of violating a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU), the interim peace deal signed on June 17th.

Donald Trump allegedly made the call, according to US officials cited in a New York Times report. At the same time, Trump also warned that full-scale war could resume at any time.

On Thursday, Trump threatened Iran and the Houthis with “major military punishment” after the Yemen-based group struck two Saudi oil tankers, telling Axios he was considering a “massive attack” against Iran that would be “bigger than ever before.”

According to the article published on Saturday, the decision followed a meeting with senior advisers and cabinet officials a day earlier that reportedly focused on the Pentagon’s shrinking inventory of Patriot interceptors and other air defenses. Two people briefed on the discussion told the outlet that officials also feared a wider regional war, alienating Gulf allies vulnerable to Iranian retaliation, a global economic downturn, and growing energy and refugee crises. –RT

The New York Times further reported that “few if any in Mr. Trump’s inner circle believed the plan to escalate was wise.” The article cited two people who were briefed on the discussion with the US ruler. One senior US official argued that further strikes were keeping Iran cohesive and focused on an external threat rather than forcing the Islamic Republic to come to the table and engage in negotiations.

An analysis in April by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated that the initial campaign consumed at least 45% of America’s Precision Strike Missiles, nearly half of its Patriot interceptors, more than half of its THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missiles, and around 30% of its Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The CSIS reported in May that rebuilding US stockpiles of weapons would be a “multiyear project.”