U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz pushed back sharply on reports of depleted weapons supplies Sunday, telling NBC News the Pentagon has everything needed for military operations against Iran and suggesting officials leaking concerns about stockpiles should face criminal charges.
"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 on "Meet the Press." He added, "The people that are leaking this nonsense deserve to be in jail."
His comments came after NBC News reported that military commanders have allowed some Iranian attacks to reach U.S. defenses to preserve the Pentagon's weapons supply, according to two senior officials. The network has also previously detailed how U.S. weapons stockpiles are shrinking as confrontations with Iran persist.
Waltz blamed the previous administration for the problem, saying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth "inherited a depleted situation from not only Ukraine, but also the ongoing fight with the Houthis under the Biden administration and a depleted military under the Biden administration." Under Trump, he said the military is shifting toward "cheaper munitions, new technologies" while "rebuilding our great military" with expanded defense budgets.
The White House and Pentagon declined to comment immediately on the matter.
The Pentagon's own request tells a different story. Last week, Hegseth asked lawmakers for $67 billion in supplemental funding to ramp up weapons production and accelerate delivery timelines. During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in April, Hegseth conceded to Senator Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., that restocking the arsenal could take "months and years."
Kelly, appearing on the same "Meet the Press" broadcast, called the situation self-inflicted and cast blame directly at Trump's team. "They're not keeping track," Kelly said. "This president and the people around him are incompetent." He questioned whether $67 billion was a reasonable ask, saying competent leadership would find a way to defend the nation and equip troops "within a reasonable budget."
Asked if he would support the supplemental spending, Kelly said he hasn't decided. "What they're asking for is not reasonable," he stated.
The underlying conflict shows no clear signs of cooling. The U.S. has conducted nearly two weeks of consecutive nightly strikes on Iran recently. While Trump has told reporters the administration is still in talks with Tehran, Iran and its proxies have maintained their own attacks on shipping, disrupting global trade routes.
When asked whether Trump had decided against further escalation given the recent pause in consecutive strikes, Waltz signaled openness to more military action. "I wouldn't go that far at all," he said. "The president is keeping all options on the table." He portrayed the current posture as diplomatic space, noting that "talks are ongoing, they're happening at every level."
Trump himself left little room for restraint. A French journalist reported Saturday that when asked if the president was considering full-scale war with Iran, Trump responded: "If we don't get 100% of what we want, absolutely."
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Waltz's blanket dismissal of stockpile concerns while his own Defense Secretary is asking Congress for $67 billion to rebuild supply doesn't add up, and Kelly's frustration with the math is warranted."
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