Pentagon Depletes Long Range Missiles amid Continuing Strategic Defeats against Iran

While the war of resistance to imperialism further regionalizes the struggle against western hegemony intensifies

By Abayomi Azikiwe

Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Tuesday August 4, 2026

Geostrategic Analysis

Once again, the administration of United States President Donald Trump has declared a “pause” in their bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Since February 28 when Washington and Tel Aviv launched an unprovoked war against Tehran and its 92 million people, this act of blatant aggression represented a monumental miscalculation related to the support for the Iranian Revolution and the capacity of the people to repel repeated attempts aimed at political destabilization and the overthrow of the government.

The prolonged war against Iran is now creating a crisis of immense importance in that the very weapons being used to kill civilians and destroy infrastructure are rapidly being depleted. It has become widely assumed that the pause in aggressive actions against Iran is due to the declining capacity of the Pentagon to carry out large-scale strikes aimed at defeating Tehran.

Despite boasting about having the most equipped and efficient military force in the world, the Iranian government has launched repeated attacks on the US and Israel costing billions in damages. The privileged position of the imperialist and zionist allies in the Persian Gulf has been shattered as Pentagon bases, personnel and equipment have been destroyed by the Iranian military on a massive scale.

Since early March the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively under the control of Iran while the economic impact of the war is being felt throughout the world. The prices for oil and many derivative products have skyrocketed. Other commodities which are essential for the global markets have been negatively affected by the failure of the Trump administration to admit defeat and abide by the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both belligerent parties in the war and mediated by Pakistan and Oman. 

Among its allies in the United Kingdom and Western Europe, the administration has been exposed for its inability to act in a geostrategic manner which does not weaken its influence on an international level. Beyond allowing US warplanes to utilize their airspace and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) aligned military bases, the states in the longtime imperialist alliance have not entered the battle against Iran and its allies in West Asia. The Chancellor of Germany even publicly mocked Trump for what he considered an ill-advised attack on Iran.

After repeated claims that the entire Iranian revolutionary leadership had been eliminated and that the ability of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) to respond militarily was rendered void, not only has the government in Tehran remained in complete charge of the country they are setting the terms for any international discussions related to ending the war. In regard to the statements by Trump about negotiations between Tehran and Washington, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has denied these assertions by the US government. The Foreign Ministry of Iran has said that they are holding talks with the Kingdom of Oman over the future routes through the Strait of Hormuz. 

Pentagon Running Out of Offensive Armaments

During early August additional reports surfaced strongly suggesting that the US has severely depleted its offensive weapons such as long-range missiles. This is being said in the aftermath of massive damage inflicted by the IRGC on US bases in the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the Kingdom of Jordan along with the State of Israel. 

According to a report published by Press TV on August 4:

“The US Army has reportedly exhausted much of its stockpile of precision long-range missiles during its five-month war on Iran, weakening Washington’s ability to sustain warmongering policies. The depleted weapons include the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the newer Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), two key surface-to-surface systems in the US arsenal. Citing two sources, Reuters reported on Tuesday that the military had used ‘virtually all’ of the missiles available to it at the outset of the war, although they declined to disclose how many remain in US inventories. The extent of the depletion has not previously been reported.” (https://www.presstv.co.uk/Detail/2026/08/04/773732/Iran-US-Trump-Israel-TACMS)

Such a revelation is not surprising. The administration, like in other domestic and foreign policy adventures, does not consider the consequences of its actions. Believing that the Iranian government and people would rapidly succumb to the attacks by the Pentagon and the zionist occupation forces, the US with its lack of foresight and tactical maneuvers has quickly wound up in a military quagmire. 

This dilemma for the ruling class in the US and internationally highlights the declining influence of Washington and its cohorts within the other NATO states. Under the Trump administration they have insisted that their partners in the UK and the EU raise the level of military spending to five percent of national budgets. 

Such a shift in domestic policy will undoubtedly further the impoverishment of the working class and oppressed people of Europe. These same policies in the US have not raised the standard of living for the masses. The actual situation is quite to the contrary as being evidenced by the rise in the prices of commodities including energy, housing, food and education.  

The same above-mentioned article went on to point out regarding the strategic blunders of US imperialism that:

“The strain on US arsenals comes as the administration of President Donald Trump seeks to expand weapons production. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has warned, however, that efforts to rapidly replenish ‘exquisite-class’ weapons will take years to bear fruit. The Trump administration has reached agreements with arms manufacturers aimed at quadrupling production of such advanced weapons, while Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst has announced plans for expanded multi-year procurement contracts as part of Trump’s $1.5 trillion military budget request. Yet even under optimistic projections, analysts say rebuilding depleted stocks could take several years. Delivery timelines for newly contracted missiles are expected to stretch between three and five years, despite efforts to expand production capacity.” 

As the administration becomes even more desperate to project itself as the victor in the war against Iran, the more outlandish the proclamations of Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth become. Having assassinated leading Iranian officials including the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, the level of anger and desire for retribution has permeated the country and the entire West Asia region. 

People around the world are viewing the US ruling class as being incompetent and delusional. Any European and Latin American government which follows the US line regarding domestic and foreign policies can only suffer the same fate.

The genocidal onslaught against the people of Palestine and Lebanon has strengthened the solidarity movements with the people. There are ongoing demonstrations and other manifestations in the US, Europe and other geopolitical regions opposing the genocidal and imperialist project of zionism.

Pentagon Budget Worsens the Status of Working and Oppressed Peoples

In April the Trump administration sent a National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill to the Congress for $1.5 trillion. This represents the largest defense bill in US history. 

Of course, the White House believes that it can spend its way out of the current geostrategic crisis in West Asia. However, the House of Representatives which is dominated by the MAGA Republican politicians only approved $1.1 trillion in the proposed spending.

Nonetheless, within the Senate, which also has a Republican majority, the body held up the bill based upon considerations related to the Iran war and other excessive expenditures. These unprecedented defense bills will only result in the worsening of living conditions among the majority of working families and oppressed people of color communities. 

A report issued during 2026 by the National Urban League (NUL) indicated that the African American people in the US are in an economic recession. These depressed social conditions cannot be separated from the domestic policies of the Trump administration which views the gains of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements of the late 20th century as being detrimental to the white population.

Many African Americans have found career employment within the federal, state and municipal governments. Consequently, the administration and its MAGA affiliates within the Congress are attacking these institutions for racist purposes while at the same time undermining the operational capacity of the public service.

There are similar efforts taking place within the education sector. From the K-12 levels up to the colleges and universities, the Trump White House and Congress are working incessantly to dictate what can be taught and researched. Under the guise of fighting “wokeism” and antisemitism, the administration has suspended research grants while placing political pressure on higher educational institutions to eliminate programs, degrees faculty members. 

Consequently, the administration’s priorities are being clearly illustrated. The focus is on imperialist domination around the world in conjunction with the implementation of fascist policies domestically in the US. 

Therefore, social justice organizations and movements cannot ignore the international questions of the contemporary period related to Palestine, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, the Alliance of Sahel States in West Africa and other contested areas. The mass struggles in the US cannot make headway as long as the ruling class and the capitalist state utilize the resources of the people to replenish its arsenal in the failed attempts to maintain global hegemony.