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Is the United States Running Out of Cruise Missiles? A Deep Dive into the Arsenal Behind the Iran War
Five weeks into the joint US-Israeli war against Iran, a critical question is emerging from defense analyst circles: is the United States significantly depleting its most potent weapon—the long-range cruise missile? According to war researchers and strategic analysts, the United States has already launched more than 800 cruise missiles against Iranian targets. That figure now exceeds the total number of missiles Israel used against Iran during the 12-day war in June 2025. This rapid expenditure has led some experts to suggest that the US may be "losing a lot of power" and may be forced to conserve its remaining resources for future attacks. The Pentagon, however, strongly disputes this conclusion.
The Central Debate: Depletion vs. Endless Supply
The Analysts' View: Researchers who track US military stockpiles argue that the level of US attacks on Iran is visibly decreasing. They note that at the peak of the campaign, US and Israeli forces were firing approximately 300 cruise missiles per day. That rate has now slowed considerably. These analysts believe that if both the United States and Iran continue to expend weapons at current rates, they may eventually reach a stage where both sides are forced to run to the negotiating table—simply because they have run out of high-precision munitions.
The Pentagon's View: Department of Defense spokespersons have forcefully rejected the idea that the US is running low on missiles. A Pentagon spokesman stated that the United States could continue fighting a war with Iran "for years to come" and that it will "not run out of missiles." The spokesman dismissed the researchers' conclusions as lacking respect for the US missile defense and production infrastructure, adding that the United States remains "a true friend" to its allies—implying that stockpile concerns are overblown.
The Numbers: What Has Been Fired, What Remains
According to a report by the Post (citing estimates from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS), the United States fired more than 850 long-range missiles in just the first month of Operation Enduring Freedom—the joint US-Israeli campaign against Iran. That figure exceeds the number of missiles used in any previous US campaign over a comparable period.
The Defense Department has not released exact numbers of missiles remaining in the US stockpile. However, CSIS analysts estimate that the United States still has approximately 300 advanced cruise missiles in reserve. These are not ordinary weapons. They are:
Long-range: Capable of reaching targets up to 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away
Highly accurate: Guided by satellite navigation and inertial systems
Smart: Can adjust their flight path and even find new targets mid-mission
Sea-launched: Can be fired from moving ships, meaning the US does not need land bases in the region to strike Iran
Each of these missiles
Five weeks into the joint US-Israeli war against Iran, a critical question is emerging from defense analyst circles: is the United States significantly depleting its most potent weapon—the long-range cruise missile? According to war researchers and strategic analysts, the United States has already launched more than 800 cruise missiles against Iranian targets. That figure now exceeds the total number of missiles Israel used against Iran during the 12-day war in June 2025. This rapid expenditure has led some experts to suggest that the US may be "losing a lot of power" and may be forced to conserve its remaining resources for future attacks. The Pentagon, however, strongly disputes this conclusion.
The Central Debate: Depletion vs. Endless Supply
The Analysts' View: Researchers who track US military stockpiles argue that the level of US attacks on Iran is visibly decreasing. They note that at the peak of the campaign, US and Israeli forces were firing approximately 300 cruise missiles per day. That rate has now slowed considerably. These analysts believe that if both the United States and Iran continue to expend weapons at current rates, they may eventually reach a stage where both sides are forced to run to the negotiating table—simply because they have run out of high-precision munitions.
The Pentagon's View: Department of Defense spokespersons have forcefully rejected the idea that the US is running low on missiles. A Pentagon spokesman stated that the United States could continue fighting a war with Iran "for years to come" and that it will "not run out of missiles." The spokesman dismissed the researchers' conclusions as lacking respect for the US missile defense and production infrastructure, adding that the United States remains "a true friend" to its allies—implying that stockpile concerns are overblown.
The Numbers: What Has Been Fired, What Remains
According to a report by the Post (citing estimates from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS), the United States fired more than 850 long-range missiles in just the first month of Operation Enduring Freedom—the joint US-Israeli campaign against Iran. That figure exceeds the number of missiles used in any previous US campaign over a comparable period.
The Defense Department has not released exact numbers of missiles remaining in the US stockpile. However, CSIS analysts estimate that the United States still has approximately 300 advanced cruise missiles in reserve. These are not ordinary weapons. They are:
Long-range: Capable of reaching targets up to 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away
Highly accurate: Guided by satellite navigation and inertial systems
Smart: Can adjust their flight path and even find new targets mid-mission
Sea-launched: Can be fired from moving ships, meaning the US does not need land bases in the region to strike Iran
Each of these missiles
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NewsTranscript
00:00Is the United States running out of cruise missiles?
00:02A deep dive into the arsenal behind the Iran War 5 weeks into the joint US-Israeli war against Iran.
00:09A critical question is emerging from defense analyst circles.
00:13Is the United States significantly depleting its most potent weapon, the long-range cruise missile?
00:18According to more researchers and strategic analysts,
00:22the United States has already launched more than 800 cruise missiles against Iranian targets.
00:27That figure now exceeds the total number of missiles Israel used against Iran during the 12-day war in June
00:332025.
00:35This rapid expenditure has led some experts to suggest that the US may be
00:39losing a lot of power and may be forced to conserve its remaining resources for future attacks.
00:45The Pentagon, however, strongly disputes this conclusion.
00:48The Central Debate
00:49Depletion VS
00:51Endless supply analyst view
00:53Researchers who track US military stockpiles argue that the level of US attacks on Iran is visibly decreasing.
00:59They note that at the peak of the campaign,
01:01US and Israeli forces were firing approximately 300 cruise missiles per day.
01:06That rate has now slowed considerably.
01:09These analysts believe that if both the United States and Iran continue to expend weapons at current rates,
01:14they may eventually reach a stage where both sides are forced to run to the negotiating table simply because they
01:20have run out of high-precision munitions.
01:22The Pentagon's view
01:24Department of Defense spokespersons have forcefully rejected the idea that the US is running low on missiles.
01:30A Pentagon spokesman stated that the United States could continue fighting a war with Iran for years to come,
01:36and that it will not run out of missiles.
01:38The spokesman dismissed the researchers' conclusions as lacking respect for the US missile defense and production infrastructure,
01:45adding that the United States remains a true friend to its allies implying that stockpile concerns are overblown.
01:52The numbers
01:52What has been fired?
01:54What remains echoing to a report by the Post citing estimates from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or
02:01CSIS?
02:02The United States fired more than 850 long-range missiles in just the first month of Operation Enduring Freedom,
02:09the joint US-Israeli campaign against Iran.
02:11That figure exceeds the number of missiles used in any previous as campaign over a comparable period.
02:17The Defense Department has not released exact numbers of missiles remaining in the US stockpile.
02:22However, CSIS analysts estimate that the United States still has approximately 300 advanced cruise missiles in reserve.
02:30These are not ordinary weapons.
02:32They are
02:32Long-range
02:33Capable of reaching targets up to 1,000 miles 1, 600 kilometers away highly accurate,
02:39guided by satellite navigation, and inertial systems mod
02:43Can adjust their flight path, and even find new targets mid-miss-in-seer launched
02:48Can be fired from moving ships
02:49Meaning the US does not need land bases in the region to strike Iran
02:53Each of these missiles is a marvel of modern engineering.
02:57They can be launched from international waters, even from the Pacific Ocean, and still strike deep inside Iranian territory.
03:03This capability has been a game-changer in the early stages of the war.
03:07The cost problem
03:08$3.5 million per missile while the US may not be running out of missiles, it is certainly spending them
03:15at an extraordinary rate and at extraordinary cost.
03:18Each advanced cruise missile carries a price tag of $3.5 million.
03:22That makes it one of the most expensive conventional weapons in the US arsenal.
03:27For comparison, a JDM Joint Direct Attack Munition, a guidance kit that turns a dumb bomb into a smart bomb
03:33costs only about $80,000.
03:35However, JDMs are short-range weapons that must be dropped from aircraft flying near the target.
03:41In a war against Iran, where defenses have been degraded but not eliminated, flying close enough to drop JDMs remains
03:48risky.
03:49The cruise missile, by contrast, can be launched from complete safety, 1,000 miles away.
03:55The trade-off is brutal for the price of a single cruise missile.
03:58The US could buy 43 JDMs, but a JDM cannot reach a target deep inside Iran unless the launching aircraft
04:06is willing to risk Iranian air defenses.
04:08As one analyst put it, you're paying for the range and the survivability.
04:13And right now, that's what the mission demands.
04:16The strategic concern, depleting resources for a future war with China Bay and the immediate conflict with Iran.
04:22US strategists are increasingly worried about a larger problem, depleting missile stockpiles that might be needed for a future war
04:29with China.
04:30Taiwan remains a flashpoint.
04:32Experts believe that any US intervention in a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be largely ship-based,
04:38and would require massive numbers of long-range cruise missiles to strike Chinese naval assets, airfields, and missile batteries.
04:45If the US exhausts its cruise missile inventory in a prolonged war with Iran, it may have insufficient reserves to
04:53deter or fight China.
04:54One CSIS analyst explained,
04:56The war in Iran is consuming missiles at a rate that exceeds production.
05:01We are drawing down our strategic reserve.
05:03If China moves on Taiwan while we are still engaged in Iran,
05:07we could face a situation where we simply don't have enough long-range precision munitions to fight two major conflicts
05:13at once.
05:13Production ramping up.
05:15Can industry keep pace?
05:17Recognizing this risk?
05:18The US Department of Defense has been negotiating with defense manufacturers for years to increase production rates.
05:25Under the leadership of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin referred to as HACID in the source,
05:30the Pentagon has recently visited factories and urged workers to boost production from 850 missiles per year to 1,000
05:38per year.
05:38However, even at 1,000 missiles per year,
05:41it would take nearly a full year of production to replace the 850 missiles fired in just the first month
05:47of the Iran war.
05:48This mismatch between consumption and production is the root of the strategist's concern.
05:53The workaround.
05:54Cheaper, shorter-range alternative Pentagon is not blind to this problem.
05:59US military planners are preparing to meet the need for missile strikes by using cheaper,
06:04shorter-range alternatives where possible.
06:06For example, if Iranian air defenses are fully destroyed,
06:10the US could switch from $3.5 million cruise missiles to $80,000 JDAMs dropped from aircraft flying safely over
06:18Iranian territory.
06:19However, that day has not yet arrived.
06:21An official who spoke on condition of anonymity told Smandy TV that while the number of cruise missiles in the
06:27Middle East Theta has fallen,
06:29the overall US stockpile remains substantial, and the Pentagon is confident it can meet operational needs.
06:36Official statements.
06:37Confidence from the top Pentagon spokesman Paul Senpan stated that everything is under control
06:42and that as missions are being carried out at the tempo the president chooses.
06:46He emphasized that the United States remains the most powerful military in the world.
06:51White House spokeswoman Corrine Jean-Pierre referred to as Colin Leavitt in the source dismissed claims of missile shortages,
06:58stating that the US military has the largest stockpile of missiles and weapons of any nation.
07:03She added that the US currently has many more than enough to achieve the operational goals set by the president
07:09and will be able to exceed those goals.
07:11The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, likely General C.Q. Brown or a successor,
07:16told reporters on May 5th that the United States does not lack ammunition.
07:21And that the US can continue the campaign at any tempo.
07:24At the same time, he urged defense companies to accelerate deliveries of more weapons and admission.
07:30Critics say that production needs to increase.
07:33The astronomical cost of war beyond missile counts.
07:36The financial cost of the war is staggering.
07:39The first month of US operations is estimated to have cost up to $40 billion.
07:43The Pentagon confirmed that in the first six days alone, the US spent $11 billion, most of it on missiles
07:51and interceptors.
07:52Israel is spending approximately $300 million per day on the war.
07:56To put that in perspective, $40 billion is more than the entire annual defense budget of many medium-sized countries.
08:04And that is just the first month.
08:06The Ukraine factor.
08:07A warning from the State Department US Secretary of State Antony Blinken referred to as the US Secretary of State
08:14in the source issued a warning regarding Ukraine.
08:17He noted that weapons originally reserved for Ukraine's defense against Russia weapons that have not yet been delivered
08:23could potentially be diverted to the Iran war.
08:25This has raised concerns in KYAV, which fears that Western military aid might be reduced if the Iran conflict tracks
08:32on.
08:32Iran's response.
08:34Not a passive target while the debate over US missile stocks continues.
08:39Iran has not remained passive.
08:41Tehran has demonstrated its own ability to use ballistic missiles and cruise missiles,
08:45threatening its Arab neighbors in the Gulf, particularly Iran.
08:49Iranian officials have warned that if the ask continues its campaign,
08:53Iran will strike US allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait.
08:59Iran has also shown that it can fire missiles from mobile launchers hidden in mountains,
09:04making them difficult to find and destroy.
09:07Even if the US has 300 cruise missiles left,
09:11destroying every Iranian mobile launcher would be like hunting needles in a haystack,
09:15each needle costing $3.5 million to strike.
09:18The impact differential.
09:20Cruise Missiles VS.
09:21Iranian drone zone factor that feathers the United States
09:25is the sheer destructive power of its cruise missiles compared to Iranian drones.
09:29A US cruise missile carries a 100-pound warhead.
09:32An Iranian drone typically carries only 50 to 100 pounds of explosives.
09:37That means a single US cruise missile delivers 10 to 20 times the destructive power of an Iranian drone.
09:43This differential explains why the US has been able to destroy hardened targets like underground missile depots
09:49and nuclear facilities, while Iranian drones have mostly caused superficial damage.
09:54However, quantity has a quality of its own.
09:57Iran can produce drones relatively cheaply and in large numbers,
10:01while each US cruise missile is a precision instrument that takes months to manufacture.
10:06Conclusion
10:06Running low or running smart?
10:09So, is the United States running out of cruise missiles?
10:12The answer depends on who you ask.
10:14The analysts say yes.
10:16850 missiles fired in one month.
10:19Only 300 remaining.
10:21Production at 1,000 per year.
10:23The math does not favor a long war.
10:25The Pentagon says no.
10:26The US has the largest stockpile in the world,
10:29can fight for years,
10:30and can always produce more.
10:32The strategists worry about China.
10:34Even if the US is not running out for Iran,
10:37it may be depleting the reserves needed to deter Beijing over Taiwan.
10:41What is undeniable is that the cost both financial and strategic is enormous.
10:46$40 billion in the first month.
10:48A production line that cannot keep pace with consumption,
10:51and a potential adversary in China watching carefully to see how much American power is left after Iran.
10:57As one retired general put it,
10:59we are not running out of missiles today.
11:01But if this war lasts another six months,
11:04we might be running out of patience,
11:06money,
11:07and missiles in that order.
11:09For now,
11:09the bombs continue to fall,
11:11the factories continue to produce,
11:13and the debate continues to rage.
11:15But the clock is ticking,
11:17and the world is watching to see if the United States can sustain its most expensive air campaign
11:22since World War II.
11:23So,
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