WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday rejected reports that he confronted Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over dwindling US weapons stockpiles during the conflict with Iran, dismissing the claims as “false”.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he remained “extremely happy” with Hegseth’s performance and accused The Washington Post of publishing a fabricated report.
“The Fake News, as usual, is spreading false and completely unfounded rumors. I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing,” Trump wrote.
He said Hegseth was “highly respected within the Military” and credited him with “getting rid of DEI” programmes and increasing military recruitment to “historic levels”.
Referring to the conflict with Iran, Trump said, “Iran, where the country has been decimated for the purpose of not allowing it to ever have a nuclear weapon, is going very well.”
Trump described The Washington Post as “one of the worst media outlets in the business” and said its reporting was “treasonous”.
https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2085409301384884721
Washington Post report: Trump confronted Hegseth
Trump’s comments came a day after The Washington Post reported that he confronted Hegseth during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David over severe shortages of key US munitions that had constrained military options during the Iran conflict.
Citing two people familiar with the exchange, the newspaper said Trump demanded to know why he had not been fully informed about the extent of the shortages, telling Hegseth he believed the issue “had been fixed”.
https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/2085157667899691505
According to the report, dwindling stocks of long-range guided missiles and air-defence interceptors became a significant factor behind Trump’s decision to refrain from launching additional large-scale strikes against Iran in recent days.
Also Read: Trump Rejects Reports of Depleted US Munitions Stockpiles
The newspaper said Hegseth defended himself during the meeting and blamed Deputy Defence Secretary Stephen Feinberg for failing to ensure the president was fully informed about the state of US stockpiles.
White House, Pentagon reject claims
Both the White House and the Pentagon denied the newspaper’s account.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the report as “100% fake news”, insisting Trump retained “the utmost confidence” in Hegseth.
https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/2085181927397409131
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell also rejected the allegations, saying Hegseth “did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture” and describing reports of depleted stockpiles and internal disagreements as “fictional”.
https://twitter.com/SeanParnellASW/status/2085185140670566491
US weapons shortages
According to The Washington Post, the United States has consumed munitions at an unprecedented pace during the conflict with Iran.
The newspaper reported that US forces fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles, over 1,000 Patriot and THAAD air-defence interceptors, and more than 1,300 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) during the opening phase of the war.
One person familiar with the matter told the newspaper that US inventories of ATACMS missiles had been depleted to the point that “there’s basically none left”, echoing similar reporting by Reuters earlier this week.
The report said the shortages had also affected other theatres, making it increasingly difficult to replenish Ukraine’s air-defence systems and prompting the Pentagon to become more selective in intercepting incoming threats with scarce defensive missiles.
According to the newspaper, the administration has approved new production agreements for several missile systems, including Patriot interceptors. However, rebuilding inventories is expected to take years, with some advanced precision-guided munitions requiring up to two years to manufacture.
