US President Donald Trump has mandated fresh inquiries into unauthorized leaks detailing the Pentagon's ammunition reserves, according to government sources cited Thursday by The Wall Street Journal.
The move represents an aggressive effort to counter damaging media disclosures surrounding military readiness in the ongoing Iran conflict.
The directive follows weeks of widespread press coverage detailing drawn-down U.S. missile inventories. According to administration aides quoted by The Wall Street Journal, the president’s irritation has mounted alongside narrowing strategic options to force Tehran to dismantle its nuclear program or achieve a broader resolution to the war.
While administration officials maintain that military inventories are fully capable of sustaining active operations, the White House issued explicit warnings regarding unauthorized disclosures.
“The United States has the most powerful military in the history of the world, with more than enough firepower to carry out any operation the President orders at any time and place," stated White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“Anyone entrusted with access to classified military information who leaks it to the media is betraying that trust and breaking federal law, and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. President Trump is committed to enforcing that law without exception," she added.
Addressing media inquiries at the White House on Thursday regarding overall inventory levels, Trump conceded that certain munition categories are available in varying quantities, remarking, “We always want more."
He nonetheless maintained that the country was “in very good shape," and declared: “We have literally massive amounts of ammunition."
Sources cited by The Wall Street Journal indicated that Trump privately expressed concern that news stories detailing inventory strains could encourage Iranian leaders and diminish American leverage during nuclear negotiations. The President's frustration prompted direct reviews with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and top national security advisers regarding existing hardware stockpiles and future operational requirements.
These disclosures align with a Wednesday report published by The Washington Post, which cited two knowledgeable sources reporting that Trump directly confronted Hegseth during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David.
Trump reportedly questioned why he had not been alerted to severe missile shortages that are currently curbing military actions against Iran, noting he believed the problem “had been fixed".
According to The Washington Post's account, Hegseth defended his management during the Camp David discussion and placed blame on Deputy Secretary Stephen Feinberg for failing to keep the executive branch properly informed.
Administration representatives rejected the reported Cabinet rift.
“This is 100% fake news. Literally never happened. And President Trump has the utmost confidence in Secretary Hegseth," Press Secretary Leavitt stated in response to the report.
Similarly, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell dismissed assertions of internal conflict, telling The Washington Post, “Secretary Hegseth did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture, and he did not blame Deputy Secretary Feinberg. These claims about depleted stockpiles, internal disagreements, the Secretary’s position on Iran … are equally fictional."