US missile interceptor shortfall 'beyond critical' due to war on Iran: Report

The US war on Iran has caused a "beyond critical" shortage of advanced missile interceptors, especially Patriots, which have been used to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles, a Nato official and US official told the Associated Press (AP) in a report published on Thursday. The US military in Europe "definitely" does not have enough Patriots to stop a sustained ballistic missile attack, the US official said, and would have "very limited" capability to defend against a single ballistic missile strike. The US and Israel first attacked Iran on 28 February. Fighting has flared throughout the summer despite a June ceasefire brokered through the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the two sides. Many experts say that US President Donald Trump appeared to expect a quick victory against Iran, energised by Israeli promises of regime change and the US's capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this year. But Iran responded to the attack by unleashing drones and missiles on Gulf states. Amid the fighting, the US pulled some air defence systems and troops from East Asia. The AP report could raise concerns about the vulnerability of European states to a Russian attack. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow in part to warn Russian President Vladimir Putin against a potential attack on Nato members. Ukraine, which is battling a Russian invasion, has used US-supplied ATACMS to target Russia. These are medium-range ballistic missiles designed to strike behind enemy lines. The US military is running low there too, the AP report noted. Read more: US missile interceptor shortfall 'beyond critical' due to war on Iran: Report Visitors queue to take a closer look at a Patriot missile launcher during the Armed Forces Day at the airbase in Laage, Germany, on 6 June 2026 (John Macdougall/AFP)