Report: Trump considered a "massive attack" in Iran - and then came the Pentagon's warning about interceptors

US President Donald Trump has set aside, at least for now, plans for a dramatic escalation in military strikes against Iran. According to a report in The New York Times, one of the central reasons for the decision is the fear that renewing extensive strikes would lead to a powerful Iranian response and dangerously deplete the stockpile of Patriot missiles and other air defense interceptors available to US forces in the Middle East.

The decision was made after Trump met on Friday with his senior advisors and cabinet members. According to the report, only a few in the president's inner circle believed it would be wise to launch a wider campaign now. The fear of depleting interceptors is just one of the considerations troubling the administration. Trump's advisors also fear the expansion of the war in the Middle East, damage to relations with Gulf states, a global economic crisis, and a further rise in energy prices.

At the center of the closed-door discussions in Washington was the Pentagon's dwindling stockpile of interceptors. In recent weeks, US systems have been required to deal with heavy barrages of Iranian ballistic missiles and UAVs against bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE. According to a senior US official, the price of a failure in defense systems became clear last weekend, when three US soldiers were killed in Jordan after a ballistic missile managed to penetrate the air defense system during a combined Iranian barrage.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane, warned in closed meetings that the military is capable of renewing extensive fighting against Iran, but such a move could dangerously deplete the number of interceptors available to US Central Command (CENTCOM). According to internal estimates by the US Department of Defense, the US used more than 1,200 Patriot interceptors during the war, each costing more than four million dollars. Military sources indicate the state of the stockpiles has worsened significantly since then.

Despite the freezing of the large attack plan, the administration emphasizes that the military option remains on the table. The decision could change quickly if Iran increases attacks against US forces, hits ships in the Strait of Hormuz again, or attacks Washington's allies in the Gulf.