Washington: The US military is reportedly considering redirecting weapons intended for Ukraine in its defense against Russia to the conflict in West Asia. The month-long ongoing war against Iran is draining some of the most coveted ammunition in the American arsenal, The Washington Post said.
The potential diversion of weapons includes air defense interceptor missiles, used in the marquee systems Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). These were ordered from the respective manufacturers by the US through its Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a NATO-led program under which European countries pay for these American-made weapons to be delivered to Kyiv.
The scale of ammunition consumption is already staggering. Since US and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran on February 28, the US Central Command has struck more than 9,000 targets in about four weeks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that US-allied nations in the Middle East fired more than 800 Patriot interceptor missiles in just three days, exceeding the total stockpile Ukraine has held across its entire four-year war with Russia.
The Pentagon has reportedly notified the US Congress on Monday that it intends to divert approximately $750 million in NATO-contributed PURL funding to restock its own military inventories, rather than send additional weapons to Ukraine.
JD Vance may travel to PakistanVice President JD Vance may visit Pakistan by the end of this week to discuss an off-ramp to President Donald Trump's war of choice in Iran, according to a report by CNN. The development comes after Iranian representatives reportedly told the Trump administration that they do not want to re-enter talks with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, following which Islamabad pushed for Vance's name. However, the officials cautioned that details of the trip remain fluid, including the timing, venue, and participants, as discussions continue within the White House. |
