According to them, the United States and allies in the Persian Gulf have already used hundreds of Patriot and THAAD missiles to counter attacks by Iranian ballistic missiles and drones. This reduces the stockpile of ammunition that Kyiv relies on to defend against Russian strikes.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky warned of a possible shortage of such missiles. According to him, the shortage did not arise due to the Middle East conflict, but the war could reduce Ukraine’s ability to receive new supplies.
Since the beginning of hostilities, Iran, according to the UAE Ministry of Defense, has launched more than 1.4 thousand drones and over 260 ballistic missiles at targets in the region. Most of them were intercepted by American-made systems.
Experts note that production of Patriot missiles is limited. Lockheed Martin plans to increase production to 2 thousand missiles per year, but expanding capacity may take several years.
European allies fear that with the US distracted by a new conflict, aggressor Russia could step up attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure while arms supplies to Kyiv slow down.
Context
On the morning of February 28, Israel and the United States announced military operation in Iran (Israel called it “Lion's Roar”). Trump has stated his intention to protect the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime.
As a result of a joint attack by the United States and Israel, the residence of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he was liquidated along with a group of representatives of the country's leadership. They threatened in Tehran “crushing” retaliatory strike and sent missiles and drones to several countries in the Middle East where there are US military bases.
On March 1, Trump said that the military operation in Iran could last four weeks. Politico wrote on March 5 that hostilities could last at least 100 days and likely will last until September.
Trump stated that will not support any agreement other than “unconditional surrender” Tehran, and called for “Make Iran great again.” Pezeshkian responded that the US demand for surrender was “a dream that they should take to their graves.”
