Iran adapts strikes on US bases as Patriot stocks fall to under 1,700
Iran has adapted its attacks on US bases in the Middle East to evade air defenses and deplete scarce US Patriot interceptors, forcing the expenditure of nearly all long-range munitions during the five-month war.
Iran refines tactics against US bases
As the US-Iran war progressed, Iran adapted how it attacked US military bases in the Middle East, which forced the US to use its already scarce supply of Patriot interceptors. [1] During five days in June Iran launched waves of drones and missiles at US forces on three bases in Jordan, aiming to overwhelm American air defenses. [1] The IRGC used missiles that could suddenly change course, forcing the US to use scarce interceptor missiles. [1] As the war has progressed, Iran has become more tactical and skilled with its strikes, learning how to evade US air defenses as the conflict has spread across the region. [1]
Fatal July strike on Jordan base
On July 17 an Iranian strike in Jordan hit a housing unit on a US base, killing three soldiers. [1] A statement from US Central Command on July 18 said that "On July 17, two US service members in Jordan were killed in action as CENTCOM and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. Additionally, one service member is currently missing in action." [1] Responding to the fatal attack, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the NYT, "We shot down almost all the missiles, one leaked through." [1]
US munitions stocks near depletion
The US Army had used up "virtually all" of its highly accurate long-range missiles during the five-month war with Iran. [1] These long-range munitions allow the military to carry out accurate strikes from a safe distance, playing a crucial role in the US-Iran conflict. [1] The Pentagon has fewer than 1,700 Patriot interceptors left. [1] Between February and July the US had used around 65% of its Patriot interceptors. [1] The Army Tactical Missile Systems stockpile, a short-range missile also in demand by Ukraine, is drained to the extent that there’s basically none left. [1]
Trump defends US production capacity
When asked for comment on the stockpile data, the White House issued a statement from Trump, saying the US had “far more munitions than anyone in the world" and "far more than we need." [1] "Our defense companies are, at this moment, making more munitions than they have ever made before, in addition to expanding their plants and equipment at record levels," Trump said. [1]
Parallel tensions in Lebanon and West Bank
Israeli officials say that even though roughly three weeks have passed since the pilot program to disarm Hezbollah began, the Lebanese Army is “not doing enough” on the ground. [2] On July 20, 2026, Israel, the United States, and the Lebanese Army launched a security pilot program in southern Lebanon. [2] One of the officials told the Post that the Lebanese Army has entered the area and even uncovered weapons and ammunition caches, but said that “it is still not enough.” [2] “The test will be whether the Lebanese Army enters Hezbollah infrastructure and actually confronts the terrorist organization,” the official said. [2] Pakistan on Tuesday urged the international community to persuade Israel to halt new Jewish settlements on Palestinian lands, warning that the situation was approaching a “dangerous tipping point.” [3] UN Secretary-General António Guterres said all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank had no legal validity and constituted a “flagrant violation” of international law. [3] Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad told the Council that settlement expansion, settler violence, land seizures and the extension of Israeli authority over Palestinian land were part of a broader effort to entrench the occupation. [3]
Regional diplomacy and border friction
Over the past few days, Pakistan has been going the extra mile to assure Iran that the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement it signed last week with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye poses no threat to Tehran. [4] In a recent telephone call, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that the pact is “not an instrument of confrontation.” [4] Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the cabinet that the agreement is “entirely for defence purposes.” [4] Tehran seems to have understood the messaging, as the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said his country had no reason to believe the pact was aimed at encircling it. [4] India considers incidents along its disputed border with China “most serious” and “the state of the border affairs” will “reflect on the state of our larger bilateral ties,” the Ministry of External Affairs said Tuesday. [5] During the foreign ministry’s biweekly briefing, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal didn’t deny that a fresh border incident had occurred. [5] The comments come days after officials from the two sides met in New Delhi and ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to India for a BRICS summit. [5]
What to watch next: Another round of talks between the Israeli and Lebanese delegations is expected to take place in September, while the Turkish president has already said that the Makkah pact is open to other countries.
