Washington Redirects Its Weapons: From Ukraine to the Middle East Under Pressure from the Iran War

SadaNews - The U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) is considering redirecting arms shipments that were designated for Ukraine towards the Middle East, amidst the depletion of vital ammunition stocks due to ongoing military operations as part of the war against Iran, according to informed sources.

The Washington Post reported, based on three informed sources, that among the weapons being considered for transfer are interceptor missiles for air defense systems, which were purchased as part of a NATO initiative launched last year, aimed at enabling partner countries to purchase U.S. weapons for Ukraine.

This shift comes amid escalating U.S. military operations in the Middle East, where U.S. Central Command leader, Brad Cooper, announced that U.S. forces targeted over 10,000 sites within Iran, claiming that the operations aim to reduce Tehran's ability to extend its influence beyond its borders.

In commenting on this information, a Pentagon spokesperson stated that the Department of Defense will work to "ensure U.S. forces and those of allies and partners have what they need to fight and achieve victory," without providing additional details.

This shift highlights the increasing pressure on U.S. ammunition stocks, amid the intensive consumption of interceptor missiles by the United States, Israel, and its Gulf allies, to counter Iranian attacks.

In this context, the Pentagon announced agreements with weapon manufacturing companies, including Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems, to increase production of key components for missile defense systems, especially the THAAD system, which has seen extensive use in recent weeks, where production of some components, such as guidance heads, was decided to be raised to four times.

The U.S. Department of Defense also announced the acceleration of production of the PrSM tactical ballistic missile, which is being used for the first time in the war against Iran and is considered an alternative to the ATACMS missile, along with an additional agreement with Honeywell Aerospace to increase production of vital electronic components, in a step aimed at putting U.S. defense industries on high alert and enhancing what it described as the "arsenal of freedom."