The Middle East has been in conflict since Saturday, February 28, causing widespread panic across the region and an expert says that countries in the Gulf region could run out of stockpiles soon
Experts say Gulf countries are burning through air defence stockpiles at a pace that cannot last, heightening concerns that Iranian missiles and drones will soon face little resistance.
The Middle East has been in conflict since Saturday, February 28, when Israel and the US carried out joint strikes on several key Iranian sites. Iran’s supreme leader at the time, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the strikes over the weekend and Iran has responded by hitting key sites across the Middle East, causing widespread panic across the region.
The sustained effort required to intercept Iranian strikes has placed strain on the US-supplied defence systems protecting cities across the Middle East.
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A missile expert at the University of Oslo said the intensity of interceptor usage could only maintained for about than another week.
“The intensity of interceptor usage that we have seen over the last couple of days can’t be maintained for more than another week – probably a couple of days at most, and then they will feel the pain of interceptor shortage,” said Fabian Hoffmann in an interview with reporters.
By Monday evening, the UAE had reportedly absorbed 174 ballistic missiles, eight cruise missiles and 689 drones across three days of bombardment.
None of the missiles are reported to have broken through, though 44 drones found their mark.
Bahrain has had 70 ballistic missiles fired at it. Iranian drones struck the US embassy in Kuwait and hit Qatar’s principal liquefied natural gas facility.
To bring down a single incoming ballistic missile demands two to three interceptors from systems such as Patriot and Thaad, regardless of cost, the Express reported.
Tehran’s arsenal is estimated to contain upwards of 2,000 missiles within range of Gulf territory.
How many interceptors remain in position across the region is a state secret. It has been widely reported, however, that the UAE may have fewer than 1,000, Kuwait’s reserves sit at roughly 500 and Bahrain’s at around 100.
The problem is compounded by the fact that Gulf forces have been deploying their costly Patriot batteries against Iran’s cheap Shaheed drones, burning through expensive ammunition to neutralise a low-grade threat.
Worries over Washington’s weapons reserves to absorb a prolonged conflict have also been growing. Trump has waved them away.
US President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social: “As was stated to me today, we have a virtually unlimited supply of these weapons. Wars can be fought ‘forever’, and very successfully, using just these supplies.”
But he has acknowledged that stocks of premium weapons were “not where we want to be.”
US and Israeli forces have been methodically picking off Iranian launch infrastructure in an attempt to choke off the supply of incoming fire at its source.
Dozens of systems have been put out of action, intelligence officials say.
