Advisers worry the US is running out of missiles. 
TACO Tuesday Arrive on Sunday
The New York Times reports Trump Holds Off on Major Escalation Against Iran as Advisers Raise Concerns
President Trump has set aside, at least for now, plans to sharply escalate the American military assault against Iran, with particular concern that intensifying the war could dangerously drain the Pentagon’s already diminished stockpile of Patriot antimissile interceptors and other air defense munitions in the Middle East.
The threat to interceptor stockpiles is one of many considerations that have made a return to major combat operations a hugely risky endeavor, administration officials say. Mr. Trump and his top aides are also uneasy about the prospect of a widening war in the Middle East, the alienation of key Gulf allies who are vulnerable to Iranian attack, a global economic crunch, and growing energy and refugee crises.
The latest turn in Mr. Trump’s handling of the conflict with Iran came after a meeting on Friday with top advisers and senior members of his cabinet, according to two people briefed on the discussion.
The private deliberations have focused on the Pentagon’s shrinking inventory of Patriot interceptors and other air defenses, the officials said, discussing operational matters on the condition of anonymity.
Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has cautioned privately that resuming major combat operations against Iran was doable but that it would dangerously deplete interceptors available to the military’s Central Command, which is responsible for operations in the Middle East, the officials said. A spokesman for General Caine declined to comment on advice the general gives the president.
Mr. Trump has been wrestling with how to proceed in his nearly five-month war against Iran and specifically with how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as gas prices climb again amid the resumption of hostilities over the past two weeks. Diplomacy has broken down, and the latest round of extensive U.S. attacks do not seem to have deterred Iran militarily.
Few if any in Mr. Trump’s inner circle believed the plan to escalate was wise, said the two people briefed. One senior U.S. official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, expressed doubts that resuming major combat operations would drive Iran back to the bargaining table.
The official said the strikes have the opposite effect of what is intended, keeping Iran cohesive and allowing Iranian leaders to focus attention on an external threat.
Going into Friday’s meeting, Mr. Trump had indicated that the military was ready to carry out heavier assaults if ordered to do so even while leaving open the door to a diplomatic solution.
“Look, we’re locked and loaded,” Mr. Trump told reporters on Friday afternoon. “We’re ready to go, but we’re talking to them, so maybe there will be, maybe there won’t be a tipping point.”
Mr. Trump previewed some of his discussions in an interview with Axios on Thursday, saying: “I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it.”
But by late Friday, Mr. Trump appeared to temporarily put aside the bigger bombing plans, apparently persuaded, at least in part, by his military advisers’ assessment of dwindling supplies of munitions to defend American troops in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, whose bases there have come under heavy Iranian fire in the past two weeks. A major attack would most likely have drawn a heavier Iranian retaliation, putting more pressure on U.S. air defenses.
Running Low on Missiles
Good News, We Are Out of Bombs
A Pause?
Then Again
Ukraine to Save the War?
How About the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain?
Reflections on the Setup
The Limit of Effectiveness
Gee. If we have reached the limits of effectiveness, what does that say about our plan?
The War Must Go On
All it takes is one party to decide the war must go on.
But that’s OK.
Q: Why?
A: Trump is guardian of the world, silly.
Hello MAGA, how many of you voted for Trump to be guardian of the world?
By any chance did you also cheer when he promised no more wars?
Related Posts
July 25, 2026: Ukraine Fires on Iranian Ships. Russia and Ukraine Dragged Into the Iran War?
The odds of a major war-related policy error just surged.
July 25, 2026: Rubio’s New Biblical Theory Justifies a “Head for an Eye” Iran War Escalation
Recall that Trump’s only limit on his actions is his own morality
I am sure glad we are constrained by Trump’s morality, or who knows where we might be.
And we now have a guardian.
Addendum on Stockpiles and Leaks
Biden depleted our stockpiles.
It’s a lie that our stockpiles are depleted.
The people leaking this should be in jail.
Iran to Trump: “I am not the one trapped here with you. It is you who is trapped here with me”
Just another Manic Market Manipulation Monday
Now what? Who do you call? Team America: World Police!
Life imitates art.
https://youtu.be/kMyJWuvW_9k?si=R7p1hEji9UBEA7iR
damn, now I’m going to have to rewatch that. incredible movie.
Looks like I will be buying back some of the oil stocks I sold last week. Keep buying the dips and selling the rips.
It will be interesting to see what comes out of this “pause” in the conflict. Vance wants to try to resurrect the MOU and stalled negotiations. Though I don’t know how successful he will be. At this point Iran has more leverage than before. They still control the strait. Ships are avoiding the US approved route and using the Iran route. (Though today, one ship wandered off course in the Iran route and struck a mine.)
Will the US lift the blockade again in order to entice Iran back to the table?
I understand Reuters reported three Iranian-linked oil products tankers exited the Hormuz Strait on Sunday. Will they get through the US blockade?
Been screaming from the rooftops that the drone guerilla warfare that Ukraine has deployed against a “super”(ahem)power like Russis redners us equally neutered by the mosquitoes of modern warfare–drones. Maybe we can get the ones the Russians modified using plywood and standard magnetic guidance? Needless to say unless and until a super power country is willing to go full on boots on the ground, tanks, and or tactical nukes, they will be thwarted by the miniaturization-of-everything model where drones can wreak havoc. What a waste of a military budget to not foresee this and adjust…and still they want more. 21 miles of water. TWENTY-ONE. Can’t open it and can’t protect the region. Russia and U.S. exposed.
The markets were about to open, a TACO was required.
Ukraine is unique in that both sides dug in for years before the war started, but Iran also did the same thing which makes for a weird parallel. Both are very capable of fighting a defensive war even against the full might of a superpower because the current technology of war favors defense and speed in all matters of offense.
Both the US and Russia were planning for a fight against each other with stupid shit that was never realistic like tactical nukes ect. They spent so much time on that goose chase that both of them threw out having a professional, respectful, everyman’s army for a mix of macho stupidity and expensive toys. Both Ukraine and Iran are what you get when you let pro wrestlers and billionaires plan wars.
Since when Starlink is Ukrainian? Without Starlink and US satellites guidance Ukraine would be done many moons ago. No parallels at all!
You realize Russia also uses Starlink just as much and both have workarounds to not having it (like pre-set destinations, linked systems and offline gps), yes?
Who am I kidding you don’t know what any of that stuff even stands for. More braindead rattle from armchair experts who’ve never flown an RC plane, let alone a quadcopter.
and yet we waste an incredible amount of money on the Army. We’ve increased the number of Army divisions by like double since the end of the Cold War. So we now have 12 regular divisions and 8 reserve divisions for a total of 20. Call it 15,000 troops per division or so and you’re talking and old school Army of 300,000 (conservative) and then add in independent regiments etc, and maybe it’s 350,000. And yet we won’t put boots on the ground bc we are terrified of taking any mass casualties.
So 10s of billions in Army troop salaries per yer, plus training cost, plus equipment costs, etc. Who knows – maybe $50B a year? $100B a year? All to pay for an Army that we can’t and won’t use bc we don’t like casualties (rightly so).
Talk about a missed DOGE opportunity. And yes, I am pro military but this is ridiculous.
Nuttyyahoo is coming to town for a pep talk this week. We both still have nukes.
Taco once again manipulating financial markets with his becoming predictive capitalulations on his idle threats. He wants to be known as the boy who cried wolf but enhanced his own wealth as well as a select relatively few.
That’s another way of saying that the markets are opening tomorrow morning after the weekend!
You have to admit it is very funny that “we ran out of bombs” is the official reason for the mighty, unstoppable, unmatched US of A to be waving the white flag.
Great Brittan tried to be the world’s policeman.
Dollars ceased to be convertible into gold because of the Pentagon’s communist containment policy.
He is the laughingstock of the world and showing everyone that the USA is no longer indispensable. Get ready for more price increases as the benefits of empire are lost
the sweet irony is that the maga morons will suffer the most long term, especially the old ones
More like #1 A**hole of the World.
One reason mentioned for the halt in bombing is the depleted arsenal. In that regard note the MASSIVE cost blackhole Numbnutts has created:
“In late April, The New York Times reported that the Pentagon had used more than 1,200 Patriot interceptor missiles in the war, at more than $4 million apiece, leaving inventories worrisomely low, according to internal Defense Department estimates and congressional officials. The situation has worsened since then, military officials said this week.”
That is !,200 missles X $4 mil a piece = $4.8 BILLION out the window to protect everyone and their dog as Trump incentivizes Iranian attacks on it’s neighbors.
Note that milestone was at only < 2 months in – we’re now ~ 5 months in.
So we’ve probably burned twice that many now wasting $9.6 BILLION on Patriot Missles alone.
Another nice fact: Locheed charges an absurd 4 X the cost South Korea charges for this missile shields. I say screw Lockhead’s price gouging and get 4 X’s as many for the price from S. Korea.
“South Korea’s equivalent to the U.S. Patriot system is the Cheongung-II (also known as the KM-SAM Block II or M-SAM), a medium-range surface-to-air guided missile system developed by LIG Nex1 and Hanwha Aerospace.
System Overview and Costs
Main reason to stop the war : Trump will be busy saving a time-traveling George Washington who is in peril of falling from a cliff by Mt. Rushmore. It’s on Truth Social, so it must be true!
Maybe it got through to Iran that shooting at commercial shipping ain’t such a hot idea.
We will see.
Yep Iran sure learned their lesson lol
yes that’s obviously why Ttrump backed down.
The oil markets think Iran is done shooting at oil tankers. Price per barrel is down over $4.
Wrong. It is because it’s Sunday evening and the “Pakistan Seeks To Restart US-Iran Talks” balloon is up in the air.
The market is always happy to stop a big move, particularily down.
Recall elevator on the way down, stair on the way up. And everyone loves to catch a bounce. Whether is durable is what can lead to a bear market.
Been through them? There’s always “bounce” rallies. BUt repeatadly suffing them out is the bear aspect.
Myself, at these nosbleed valuation levels; AND due for a Trump recession any of my longs are mostly just rented – not owned.