The United States is concerned that if Iran’s attacks continue for a prolonged period, Israel’s modern missile interceptors used to stop missile attacks may run out.
A US official familiar with arms supply issues to Israel said that due to Iran’s attacks, Israel’s stock of missile interceptors is rapidly decreasing. One concern for the US government is that if US forces join Israel’s attacks against Iran, Iran could multiply its missile attacks against Israel many times over. In such a situation, the extent to which Israel’s air defense system needs to be used to intercept attacks would increase, as would the number of missile interceptors needed. As the US is the main supplier of these interceptors to Israel, using a large number of interceptors would likely impact US stocks. The US stock includes not just equipment prepared for Israel’s use. The same stock supplies interceptors used by the US in other parts of the world. Therefore, if interceptors become scarce, it is believed it would affect both Israel and the US’s defensive capabilities.
Since June 13, Israeli forces have been targeting terrorist attacks on Iran, claiming to hinder its nuclear program. Those attacks have martyred many Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. Some nuclear facilities have also been attacked. In retaliation, Iran has launched a special operation called “Operation True Promise 3” and begun launching powerful attacks on important areas of the Jewish state. In those attacks, Iran has been damaging important Israeli military and industrial centers. As a result, the extent to which Israel’s air defense systems need to be used has also increased, and the number of interceptors available for use is decreasing.
The Arrow defense system used by Israel was developed jointly by the US and Israel. As this system is very expensive to intercept ballistic missiles, if existing Arrow systems need to be used due to attacks, obtaining additional systems would become a financial burden. Israel also faced difficulties in obtaining new interceptor stocks due to Operation True Promise 1, which began in April 2024 following Israel’s attack on Iran’s foreign mission in Syria.
Dan Caldwell, who previously held a senior position in the US Department of Defense, said the interceptors Israel uses to stop missile attacks are expensive and difficult to produce in large quantities. He said if Iran’s attacks are prolonged, Israel and the US will be forced to use their interceptor stocks judiciously. He noted that stopping previous attacks from Yemen also required significant expense.
Israeli forces began attacking Iran with the approval of US President Donald Trump. Analysts studying the situation continue to note signs that US forces are preparing to join Israel in attacking Iran. As such, the US military has sent aerial refueling tankers to European countries for military aircraft. And the US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is currently traveling to the Middle East. This is a sign that the US is preparing to join Israel in attacking Iran.
Analysts believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and influential American Jews continue to pressure Trump to involve the US in attacking Iran. While Trump’s advisors caution him against attacking Iran, the Jewish state and related powers continue to encourage the US to directly attack Iran. While US National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard has said Iran is not producing nuclear weapons, Trump has ignored her statements and again claimed Iran is working to produce nuclear weapons. Trump has also said Iran needs to be pacified in this situation.
