Trump defends Hegseth, denies ammunition shortage

President Donald Trump dismissed reports of a clash with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over ammunition shortages, posting on Truth Social on Thursday that he was "extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing". Trump called the leaks about depleted munitions "treasonous" and warned that "Long term jail sentences will be sought!". He insisted the United States possesses "massive amounts of 'munitions,' especially of certain types" and that defense companies are building "the largest number of plants and factories in our country's history." Large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the US as needed, he added.

In his post, Trump also referenced the Venezuela operation, claiming the objective was achieved in less than one day, allowing the US to bring "one of the worst criminals anywhere in the World, Nicolas Maduro" to justice. He said Iran "has been decimated" to prevent it from ever acquiring nuclear weapons, and praised Hegseth for eliminating DEI programs and raising military recruitment to levels he described as historic. He described the Washington Post as one of the worst media outlets in the industry and called its reporting treasonous.

Ammunition depletion reports

CNN reported that the US military "has exhausted almost 80%" of ammunition reserves for the THAAD interceptor system after nearly five and a half months of war with Iran. Reuters, citing sources, reported that US forces have exhausted "virtually all" ATACMS and PrSM long-range precision missiles in the conflict. The Washington Post wrote that Trump let his "frustration burst out" over the shortages last week and "demanded explanations" from Hegseth about why he had "apparently been misled." The shortages, particularly in long-range guided missiles and air defense interceptor systems, are affecting Trump's strategy toward Iran.

According to the Washington Post, Hegseth shifted blame for the shortages and inadequate briefing to his deputy, Stephen Feinberg. Pentagon chief press spokesperson Sean Parnell denied this account.

“Secretary Hegseth did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture, and he did not blame Deputy Secretary Feinberg.”

Official denials

On Wednesday, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt and Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell both categorically rejected the reports. Leavitt stated she was present at Camp David with Trump and Hegseth and that the reported confrontation never took place. She said the story was sold to multiple media outlets by someone seeking to discredit the defense secretary.

“I was at Camp David with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth. This literally never happened, and we told the Washington Post that repeatedly. This B.S. story was shopped to many outlets by someone clearly out to disparage the Secretary, for whatever reason. Unfortunately for them, the President loves the Secretary and thinks he's doing a tremendous job. FAKE NEWS!”

Iran front and Hormuz negotiations

While the ammunition dispute played out in Washington, Iran and Oman were reported to be making progress on an agreement for post-war navigation control in the Strait of Hormuz. According to multiple reports, Tehran and Muscat have separated the corridors through which ships enter and exit the Gulf, and are advancing an operational model to secure those routes.

The Washington Post reported that the ammunition shortages contributed in part to Trump's reversal on Saturday, when he wrote that he was "suspending any attack" following a request from Tehran, at a time when the United States was "ready to deliver strikes at levels we have not seen since World War II."