The Trump administration has depleted critical ammunition stockpiles, calculated to last for "years," since the start of the war with Iran, raising concerns about the escalating cost of the conflict and the US's ability to replenish its reserves, the Financial Times reports, citing three sources familiar with the situation, writes UNN.
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The rapid depletion of weaponry included advanced long-range Tomahawk missiles, sources said.
It's "a huge expenditure of Tomahawk missiles," said one source familiar with the US military's ammunition use, adding: "The Navy will feel this cost for several years."
The escalation will increase pressure on US President Donald Trump, as the war has paralyzed a vital maritime trade corridor and pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel. In an election year, the war is also becoming increasingly unpopular among American voters, who are facing sharply rising gasoline prices and questioning whether the president has committed the country to another protracted conflict in the Middle East, the publication writes.
The Pentagon is expected to send a formal request to the White House and Congress in the coming days for up to $50 billion in additional military funding. The request for additional funding will set the stage for what is likely to be a fierce battle over funding on Capitol Hill, which could expose concerns among lawmakers about the administration's actions, the publication notes.
Lisa Murkowski, a Republican on the US Senate Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for approving the federal budget, warned that lawmakers would be unhappy with any White House expectation of a "blank check." The Pentagon must "engage" with Congress, she said on Thursday.
Any additional bill to fund the war in Iran could face a battle in the House and Senate.
Earlier this week, Pentagon officials informed senators that the war had cost more than $11 billion in the first six days of strikes. The bulk of the costs were for ammunition.
"The rounds we're using - Patriot rounds, THAAD rounds... these weapon systems, each round costs millions of dollars," Democratic Senator and Air Force veteran Mark Kelly told MS Now. Meanwhile, the Iranians "are launching cheap drones," he said, referring to Shahed drones, which US intelligence officials say Iran can quickly produce for $30,000 apiece.
"The math doesn't add up here," Kelly added.
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The military is expected to brief Congress on ammunition expenditures in the coming days, a source familiar with the situation said.
In recent years, US officials have expressed concern that the use of critical ammunition could outpace its production, especially if the US were drawn into conflicts with adversaries such as Russia or China. This could lead to a dangerous depletion of US stockpiles and a reduction in the readiness of the US armed forces for future wars, the publication writes.
Murkowski recalled how in recent years, US administrations have explained to Ukraine and European partners that "we would do more" to help them with supplies, "but we don't have the stockpiles."
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week: "We have no ammunition shortage. Our stockpiles of defensive and offensive weapons allow us to sustain this campaign for as long as necessary."
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said on Thursday: "The American military has more than enough ammunition, ordnance, and weapons to achieve the objectives of Operation Epic Fury, as defined by President Trump and beyond."
"Nevertheless, President Trump has always placed a high priority on strengthening our armed forces, and he will continue to call on defense contractors to accelerate the production of American-made weapons, which are the best in the world," she noted.
Tomahawk subsonic cruise missiles are manufactured by US arms maker RTX at a cost of $3.6 million each.
In the past five years, the US military has purchased only 322 missiles, including 57 that the Navy has planned for fiscal year 2026, at a cost of $206.6 million. They intend to replenish only a fraction of what was likely used in recent days, the publication writes.
The US also used at least 124 missiles to attack Houthis in Yemen and Iranian nuclear facilities in 2024 and 2025. Washington used more than two dozen missiles in an attack on a regime facility in Isfahan, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane, said last June.
The Center for International and Strategic Studies estimated that the US used 168 Tomahawks in the first 100 hours of the war, which began on February 28.
"That's a lot. And it will take years to replace them," one US lawmaker said of the Tomahawks, as well as US reserves of interceptors for THAAD and missiles for Patriot, critical air defense assets against the barrage of missiles and drones that Iran has unleashed on US and allied facilities in the Middle East since the start of the war.
The US is spending "many billions" on a war that is proving extremely unpopular with Americans, Ron Wyden, the leading Democrat on the US Senate Banking Committee, said on Thursday.
The cost of this "is increasing almost as we speak," he said, adding: "It's an astronomical sum."