US expends 70+ interceptors in single Iranian strike on Jordan

US forces fired between 60 and 70 Patriot interceptors alongside more than a dozen THAAD anti-missile interceptors during a recent Iranian ballistic missile attack on Jordan, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited US and regional officials familiar with the matter, an expenditure that roughly equaled what American forces have used during entire weeks at other points in the conflict. Iran employed warheads that separated into multiple projectiles as they approached targets, complicating interception efforts and allowing some threats to strike fighter jets and other aircraft at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, though no US personnel were killed, the newspaper reported.

Pentagon rejects depletion claims

US Central Command declined to comment on the specific figures, while the Pentagon rejected suggestions that American munitions were depleted. "Reports suggesting that the United States' munitions are depleted are completely false," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, adding that the military remains capable of responding to threats. President Donald Trump stated Monday that Washington maintains large stocks of interceptors and is increasing production.

Strategic inventory concerns

However, the Defense Department's inspector general offered a contrasting assessment in a report this week, stating that the conflict "has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply." By mid-July, US forces had expended approximately 1,700 Patriot interceptors and more than 200 THAAD interceptors, with Navy ships firing an additional 150 Standard Missiles against Iranian drones and missiles, according to officials cited by the Journal. Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of Patriot interceptors, produced 620 units in 2025 and aims to increase annual output to roughly 2,000, the report noted.

US officials have expressed concerns that large-scale munitions transfers to the Middle East could diminish Washington's capacity to respond to potential threats in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, while the pressure on inventories has prompted Gulf states to seek additional air defense munitions and affected the availability of systems for Ukraine's defense against Russian strikes. Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, told CBS' "60 Minutes" this week that he was not concerned about interceptor shortages and that forces were prepared for any contingency.