Mike Waltz said the U.S. military has “everything that it needs” for operations against Iran, directly rejecting reports that weapons stockpiles are running low. On Sunday, he told News’ Meet the Press that US military readiness Mike Waltz remains intact as the U.S. carries out strikes against Iran.
“I want to be crystal clear: The U.S. military, and I’ve verified this every which way, has everything that it needs to conduct this campaign as effectively as it needs to be,” Waltz said. He added, “And I have to tell you, the people that are leaking this nonsense deserve to be in jail.”
Pete Hegseth and the stockpile
Waltz tied the supply issue to earlier remarks by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who in April told the Senate Armed Services Committee that it could take “months and years” to rebuild the weapons stockpile. Last week, Hegseth asked lawmakers for $67 billion in supplemental funding to expand production and speed up delivery of weapons.
Waltz said the Biden administration left Hegseth with “a depleted military” and “a depleted situation” from Ukraine and the fight with the Houthis. He said the Trump administration is moving to “new types of munitions, cheaper munitions, new technologies” while rebuilding the military with new defense budgets.
Iran strikes and defenses
The remarks came after nearly two weeks of consecutive nightly attacks on Iran. NBC News reported that U.S. military commanders are allowing some Iranian attacks through U.S. defenses to preserve the Pentagon’s weapons supply, according to two senior U.S. officials.
That reporting runs against Waltz’s public assurance that the military has enough for the campaign. He also said, when asked whether Trump had decided against escalation during the pause in consecutive strikes, “I wouldn’t go that far at all” and that “the president is keeping all options on the table.”
Talks with Iran
Waltz said in a separate interview with Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker that “What the president is doing right now, as we’ve seen all along, is giving some talks some space” and that “Talks are ongoing; they’re happening at every level.” The result is a split picture: public assurances of adequate readiness alongside reporting that commanders are managing fire in order to protect the supply of weapons.
For now, the practical question is how long the military can keep that balance while fighting and rebuilding at the same time. Hegseth’s funding request and the ongoing talks are the next known markers for whether that strain eases or deepens.
