The war with Iran is placing mounting pressure on U.S. forces and could eventually cause a "breakdown" in the military's ability to sustain the conflict, a U.S. official familiar with operations in the region told The Intercept.
The strain extends across U.S. operations, according to the report, with Iranian attacks damaging bases and warships while depleted defensive munitions, casualties, maintenance problems, prolonged deployments and increasingly difficult logistics weigh on military readiness. A second official cited a "complete lack of planning" for the conflict.
Supply operations have become particularly difficult. With regional facilities disrupted, Navy ships have had to move supplies more than 2,000 miles from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. A Pentagon inspector general report said the shift has produced extended sea transits and logistics cycles lasting 14 to 18 days. "It's difficult and ultimately unsustainable," one official told The Intercept.
The Pentagon watchdog separately estimated that the war had cost $33.4 billion through June 30, including $22.3 billion in munitions, while concluding that their use had produced "strategic inventory shortfalls." Iranian attacks damaged or destroyed hundreds of structures at U.S. installations across eight countries, according to the report.
The watchdog's findings add to concerns over air-defense supplies. Separate reporting by CNN estimated that the U.S. had used nearly 80% of its prewar THAAD interceptor inventory and roughly half its Patriot supply, figures Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has disputed.
The operational pressures come as senior Trump administration officials privately consider the possibility that the conflict could continue for years. Advisers including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have discussed assessments that Iran could withstand U.S. military and economic pressure beyond President Donald Trump's term, according to a Wall Street Journal report cited by Latin Times.
Some Middle East deployments have already been extended into 2027, while air-defense units among roughly 50,000 U.S. personnel in the region are being retained without firm end dates. Trump, meanwhile, has publicly predicted that Iran will capitulate within months.
