Notices were reportedly sent to the UK, Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia as the Iran war drained stockpiles
The US has warned several European countries, including the UK, Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia, to expect delays in deliveries of American-made weapons because the war with Iran has depleted stockpiles, the Financial Times reported late on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The reported move comes as President Donald Trump has become increasingly critical of NATO for refusing to back the US-Israeli war with Iran.
The UK, Poland, and the Baltic states are among the most vocal supporters of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. Poland and the Baltic states also rely on foreign military aid as part of what they describe as efforts to strengthen the bloc’s eastern flank against Russia. President Vladimir Putin, however, has said that Russia would not attack a NATO member unless it is attacked first.
The war in the Middle East has cost the US an estimated $25 billion, several media outlets reported, citing a senior Pentagon official, as Washington has burned through its arsenal of bombs, cruise missiles, and interceptors. The air campaign launched on February 28 has failed to stop Iran from launching ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones in retaliation against Israel and Gulf states hosting American bases.
Trump has lashed out at European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, for criticizing his war effort and refusing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“We got no help – zero! – from NATO. You know, we spent trillions of dollars on NATO – we got no help. We didn’t need it, but we got none,” Trump said in a speech in The Villages, Florida, on Friday. He went on to describe NATO as a “paper tiger,” and dismissed claims that the US was not winning the war with Iran as “treasonous.”
