Headline Roundup • August 4th, 2026
Does the US Have Enough Long-Range Missiles to Continue the War in Iran?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The US has used up "virtually all" of its highly accurate long-range missiles in the past five months of war in Iran, according to a Reuters (Center bias) report. Outlets across the political spectrum have highlighted problems with the military budget, the time it takes to produce such weapons, and how the US will change its strategy to accommodate the depletion.
The Details: Long-range munitions, known as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), allow the military to accurately strike locations from a safe distance. If the US plans to continue striking Iran, it may have to rely on riskier piloted bomb strikes. The lack of long-range missiles also means the US cannot deter other adversaries such as Russia and China, according to The New Republic (Left). Fox News (Right) reported that almost half of the country's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors have been depleted as well, which has raised concerns about how the US can protect itself should other conflicts arise.
Key Quotes: President Donald Trump said the US has "far more munitions than anyone in the world" and "far more than we need." He also said, "Our defense companies are, at this moment, making more munitions than they have ever made before, in addition to expanding their plants and equipment at record levels." Reuters noted that weapons producers Lockheed Martin and Raytheon did not respond to questions.
Issues with Production: Fox, however, reported that the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) warned that "rebuilding those stockpiles could take three years or more." A CSIS official told Fox about a recent Pentagon meeting "in which the department summoned a dozen leading Silicon Valley defense firms such as Shield AI and Anduril to discuss urgently replenishing depleted U.S. weapons inventories as the war consumes precision munitions."
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The U.S. Army has used up much of its global stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during its five-month war with Iran, according to three people familiar with the data, raising concerns about the military's readiness for future conflicts.
The missiles are principally the Army's surface-to-surface weapons, known as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). The U.S. has used "virtually all" of these weapons, according to two of the
President Trump has exhausted almost all of the U.S. military's long-range precision missile supply in the Iran war.
Reuters reports that key stockpiles of Precision Strike Missiles and Army Tactical Missile Systems have "virtually all" been used up. These are highly accurate, long-range missiles that cost over $1 million each and have been used on targets inside Russia amid the war in Ukraine. The U.S. has also used up nearly half of its Tomahawk missiles, according to sources within the administration.
The Pentagon is confronting a growing reality after months of fighting Iran: America's stockpile of missile defense interceptors.
It is shrinking so much, military planners are weighing whether they can continue the current cycle of limited retaliatory strikes.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies, using open-source budget numbers provided to Congress, estimates U.S. Patriot interceptor inventories have fallen from roughly 2,300 pre-war to fewer than 827.
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