Trump says the US has a large stockpile of ammunition and threatens to arrest anyone who claims otherwise

The Republican attacked on his Truth Social platform the news published by the press about the drop in weapons stocks. He said the US has "massive quantities of 'munitions,' especially of certain types," without revealing further details.

"Additionally, large quantities are being manufactured and shipped to the US as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of facilities and factories in our country's history," he added.

The Washington Post had reported that Trump demanded an answer about the ammunition shortage from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Friday last week, when they attended a cabinet meeting at Camp David - the president's country home.

Trump reportedly told Hegseth that he believed the munitions issue "had already been resolved," according to the Post, which cited two unidentified people with knowledge of the conversation.

The president criticized the press reports, stating that "the 'leakers' of the treasonous statements are being hunted down" and that "long-term prison sentences will be sought!"

CNN also reported that the shortage of long-range guided missiles and air defense interceptors has affected Trump's strategy in the conflict with Iran, as the American military has "virtually exhausted 80%" of its reserves of THAAD interceptors.

According to the Washington Post, the shortage led Trump to cancel new attacks on Iran. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt called the coverage of the conversation with Hegseth "FAKE NEWS!" "I was at Camp David with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth. This literally never happened," he wrote on X.

The Pentagon's top spokesman, Sean Parnell, said reports about Trump's discussion with Hegseth and the weapons shortage were "fictional."

In line with what was published by CNN, three people familiar with the data heard by Reuters stated that the US Army consumed a large part of its global stock of long-range, high-precision missiles during the war against Iran.

These are mainly Army surface-to-surface weapons, known as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). The U.S. used "virtually all" of these weapons, according to two of the people.

These long-range munitions - which cost more than US$1 million each (R$5.1 million) - are an important part of the military arsenal, allowing precise attacks from a safe distance. US-supplied ATACMS played a key role in the war in Ukraine, allowing Ukrainian forces to strike targets inside Russia.

The drastic reduction in stocks of long-range precision missiles means that Trump may have to rely more on manned bombing missions - which involve greater risks - if he resumes large-scale attacks on Iran.

The people interviewed did not want to say how many copies of each ammunition remain in the USA.

A fourth person familiar with the matter said that despite the heavy use of precision weapons, the US is able to replenish its stockpiles. Central Command — responsible for U.S. forces in the Middle East — was able to replenish it from U.S. military stockpiles elsewhere in the world, this person said.

Asked about the stockpile data, the White House released a statement from Trump stating that the US has "much more ammunition than any other country in the world" and "much more than it needs." "Our defense companies are, right now, producing more munitions than they have ever produced, as well as expanding their facilities and equipment to record levels," Trump said.