US has fired over 850 Tomahawk missiles at Iran, raising stockpile concerns: Report

ISTANBUL

The US military has fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles over four weeks of conflict with Iran, significantly depleting precision-guided weapon stocks and raising concerns among some Pentagon officials, the Washington Post reported Saturday.

Launched from ships and submarines, Tomahawks have been central to US operations since the Gulf War. However, the limited annual production of a few hundred heightened concerns about stock levels, which the Pentagon does not publicly disclose.

The heavy reliance on Tomahawks, known for their over 1,000-mile range and ability to strike without risking pilots, will require urgent discussions about whether to relocate some from other parts of the world, including the Indo-Pacific, and a long-term effort to build more.

The Pentagon is closely tracking the number of Tomahawks used, with one of the officials telling the Post that stocks in the Middle East are "alarmingly low" and, without action, nearing “Winchester” – military slang for running out of ammunition – which could impact current and future operations.

However, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the US military “has everything it needs to execute any mission at the time and place of the President’s choosing and on any timeline.”

He criticized media coverage as “biased and obsessed with portraying the world’s strongest military as weak,” arguing such reporting falsely suggests the Defense Department has failed to provide US forces “every advantage to be successful” and aims to “frighten and sow doubt in the minds of the American people.”

Many of the more than 850 Tomahawks were used in the early phase of Operation Epic Fury, sources told the Post, with at least one strike hitting near an elementary school in Minab, Iran.

The US has also launched over 1,000 air-defense interceptor missiles, including from Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems, in response to Iranian counterattacks, the sources said, noting inventories are limited and undisclosed.

Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said more than 800 Tomahawks used in Iran could represent about a quarter of the total stockpile, potentially leaving gaps for conflicts in the Western Pacific. His think tank estimated the US Navy had around 3,100 Tomahawks at the start of the war.

The navy has acquired nearly 9,000 Tomahawks over the program’s history, though many are older and now obsolete, according to a CSIS assessment.