President Donald Trump has privately complained in recent days that disclosures on the dwindling US munitions stockpile make the United States look weak at a critical juncture, senior US officials said. This comes as he repeatedly threatens additional military action to try and motivate Iran to agree to a deal.

Background on the Issue

The topic was front and center during last week’s Cabinet meeting at Camp David, when a frustrated Trump raised media coverage of the low munitions stocks, according to six sources familiar with the meeting. Many of those people said Trump has been well aware of any potential problems regarding munitions for months and was not blindsided by the reports.

Trump appeared to acknowledge that at least some of the information circulating about the stockpiles was accurate. He said his administration would seek “long term jail sentences” for those found to have made the information public. The Pentagon has long had concerns about the defense industry’s ability to produce weapons quickly enough.

Impact on Iran Negotiations

Trump’s anger came to a head over the last several weeks, after a number of news stories described the US military being low on munitions. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates the United States had around 2,200 Patriots and 452 THAAD missiles in its stockpile before the Iran war started.

Gulf leaders have acknowledged the stockpile shortage could hinder their ability to intercept incoming Iranian missile and drone attacks, multiple officials said. Iran has conveyed to Gulf nations that renewed American attacks would result in retaliation on energy sites or desalination facilities across the region.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.