Iran War: US missile interceptor shortage “beyond critical”
Patriot missile interceptors have been used to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles; the US official said that the US military in Europe lacks sufficient supplies to stop a sustained ballistic missile attack and would have "very limited" capability to defend against a single ballistic missile strike.
Following growing tensions in the Middle East, the US missile interceptor shortfall is reportedly “beyond critical”, according to Middle East Eye via AP on August 27th.
This is according to a NATO official and a US official, who say the US-Israeli war on Iran has caused a shortage of advanced missile interceptors, especially the Patriots.
Patriot missile interceptors have been used to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles; the US official said that the US military in Europe lacks sufficient supplies to stop a sustained ballistic missile attack and would have “very limited” capability to defend against a single ballistic missile strike.
Since February 28th, nearly 80% of the US military’s missile interceptor stockpile has been depleted, including half of its Patriot interceptors.
On July 21st, it was estimated that the war on Iran had cost the US $37.5 billion so far, while Israel’s wars on Gaza, Iran and Lebanon have cost Israel $205 billion since October 2023.
These figures come amid growing concerns about complicity in war crimes amid Israel’s Middle Eastern military campaign, particularly the genocidal war on Gaza.
European nations, including Britain, France, Germany and Italy, have condemned the expansion of illegal Jewish-only settlements in the occupied West Bank, despite ongoing defence cooperation with Israel.
Furthermore, there is growing bipartisan support for halting US military aid to Israel amid concerns about war crimes.
Israeli arms exports reached record levels in 2025, with Europe accounting for 36% of total exports; growing European interest in Israeli arms is linked to security concerns about Russia.
In 2025, the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 32% of exports, while Middle Eastern and North African nations accounted for 15%.
Latin America accounted for 2% of Israeli arms exports, reflecting a growing alliance between Israel and the region.
On August 10th, Colombia became the second country to recognise Israeli sovereignty over Syria’s Golan Heights, which Israel annexed in 1981, a move only previously recognised as legitimate by the US.
Maghrebi has contacted the Pentagon for comment on the apparent missile interceptor shortfall, but has not received a response at the time of publication.
Middle East Eye via AP, Maghrebi.org
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