President Donald Trump grew frustrated over the Iran war during a meeting at Camp David last week, where he questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about being misled on serious shortages in military weapons, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Washington Post.
The conversation reportedly happened on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday. Both sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation, said Trump told Hegseth he had believed the munitions problem “had been fixed.”
The shortages are especially bad in long-range guided missiles and air-defense interceptors. One alleged source said this is part of the reason Trump has held off on ordering more large-scale strikes against Iran in recent days.
White House and Pentagon dispute the account
Trump said Monday that he had ordered, and then called off, what he described as “the biggest attack since World War II,” citing claims of new talks over the Strait of Hormuz. Hegseth has publicly defended the administration’s munitions stockpiles, such as when he called reports of a shortage a manufactured story months after testifying that they needed replenishing.
In response to questions from The Post, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied the report, saying, “This is 100% fake news. Literally never happened. And President Trump has the utmost confidence in Secretary Hegseth.”
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell also disputed the account. “Secretary Hegseth did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture, and he did not blame Deputy Secretary Feinberg. These claims about depleted stockpiles, internal disagreements, the Secretary’s position on Iran … are equally fictional,” Parnell said.
According to the two sources, Hegseth defended himself during the Camp David exchange and pointed to his deputy, Stephen Feinberg, saying Feinberg had not made sure Trump was fully informed about the shortages.
The United States has signed new production deals for some important weapons, including Patriot air defense missiles. However, these weapons may take up to two years to build, so the shortage is not expected to ease soon. The Post previously reported that in the first month of fighting, the U.S. fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles and over 1,000 Patriot and THAAD defense systems.
A U.S. official told The Post that the U.S. also used more than 1,300 Army tactical ballistic missiles in the early weeks of the war. One of the sources said the stockpile of these missiles, known as ATACMs and also used by Ukraine, is nearly empty.
The weapons shortage has also affected countries beyond the Middle East. Ukraine is running low on air defenses, and there are few ways to restock supplies from Western countries, leaving it more open to Russian long-range attacks. A U.S. official told The Post that the lack of interceptor missiles is also changing how the U.S. decides whether to use weapons against incoming threats, depending on where the threat is headed. This shift in strategy was first reported by NBC News.
More than five months into the conflict, 18 U.S. service members have reportedly been killed and hundreds more injured. Iran and the U.S. remain at a standstill, and neighboring Arab countries have raised concerns about the long-term economic impact of the war and the closed Strait of Hormuz. The debate over Hegseth’s candor continues, such as when Democratic Senator Kaine raised questions for the defense secretary following the exit of another top general.
During a Senate hearing in July, Hegseth reportedly disagreed with Democratic lawmakers over whether he gave Trump honest information about the risks the war posed to U.S. military supplies. Hegseth reportedly did not discuss the advice he gave the president and instead blamed any shortages on how the Biden administration had managed the military, not on actions taken during the current war.
Hegseth, Feinberg, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine have asked Congress for $67 billion in extra military funding to help pay for the Iran war. Hegseth told lawmakers last month that the money was needed to restock the military’s supplies. Senate Republicans have reportedly not yet agreed on how to move forward with the funding request.
The administration’s total defense budget request for next year is a reported $1.5 trillion, including billions of dollars for building new missiles. However, the plan has reportedly stalled because Democrats have objected to the size of the increase, leaving the Pentagon without a clear way to rebuild its weapons supply.
Since Hegseth mistakenly sent classified information in a group chat that included a reporter, an incident known as “Signalgate,” questions have followed about how secure his position remains. Trump has continued to praise Hegseth publicly. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told The Post, “Secretary Hegseth isn’t going anywhere, and he’s going to continue to work side by side with Deputy Secretary Feinberg to execute President Trump’s agenda.”
Before the war began, Caine had reportedly already warned Trump that the U.S. did not have enough weapons stockpiled to support a long conflict. From February 28 to April 7, the first day of the ceasefire, the U.S. reportedly struck more than 13,000 targets in Iran and defended against more than 8,500 incoming Iranian missiles or drones.
Brad Bowman, a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, reportedly said the U.S. already faced weapons shortages before the current war began, pointing to the summer of 2025, when the U.S. used more than a quarter of its total THAAD interceptor supply during Israel’s 12-Day War and Operation Midnight Hammer.
Bowman reportedly said defense companies cannot begin building new weapons until contracts and government funding are approved, meaning it could take years to rebuild the stockpiles. “We’re often talking years between spending what we need to spend, getting the contracts signed, and delivery,” he reportedly said.
Published: Aug 6, 2026 07:43 am