US President Donald Trump has categorically rejected reports that the United States is facing an ammunition shortage due to the conflict with Iran , asserting that his country has the largest military stockpile in the world. At the same time, the American leader chose to escalate his war rhetoric against Tehran, releasing artificial intelligence images depicting US air strikes on oil facilities and Iranian warships .
The public standoff comes at a particularly sensitive time, as the US has refrained for a second consecutive night from airstrikes on Iranian soil. For its part, Tehran has said it will suspend its own attacks for the duration of the US pause , although both Washington and Israel warn that they remain fully prepared to resume operations immediately. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal , Trump claimed that the US has far more ammunition than it needs, denying reports that senior US officials have expressed serious concerns about the depletion of anti-aircraft missiles and interceptor systems .
On the Truth Social platform, the US president made a series of threatening posts that directly targeted Iran’s energy and maritime infrastructure . Among them was an AI-generated image depicting warplanes bombing facilities on Kharg Island , a major Iranian oil export hub, with the caption “Attack on Kharg.” In subsequent posts under the caption “The tanker is ours now,” Trump was depicted holding the American flag atop an Iranian tanker , while other images showed warships being blown up under the caption “Stop the engines.”
Despite the inflammatory posts, a senior Iranian source told Reuters that his country is sticking to the “attack for an attack” principle, making it clear that Tehran will maintain the cessation of operations as long as it does not receive new strikes. However, the same source stressed that skepticism prevails in Iran, considering the American stance as a tactical maneuver and not a real willingness to make peace. This temporary de-escalation came after 13 consecutive nights of bombing around the Strait of Hormuz . A decisive role in the decision to freeze the attacks seems to have been played by the recommendation of the head of CENTCOM , Admiral Brad Cooper , who informed the Pentagon and the White House that most of the selected targets had already been hit hard and that continuing the campaign would have limited effectiveness .
Meanwhile, reports in the New York Times and CNN revealed that Vice President J.D. Vance and General Dan Kaine expressed reservations about a possible expansion of military operations, fearing a reduction in supplies , disruption of relations with Gulf allies and global economic turmoil . Behind the scenes, envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were negotiating with the Iranian side, forging an informal understanding of “calm for calm” , while US Ambassador to the UN Mike Walz stressed that US forces remain “armed and ready” . At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran’s nuclear program must be ended “with or without a deal,” warning of a crushing response in the event of new attacks.
The current crisis follows joint US-Israeli military operations that began on February 28 against Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities. This was followed by an Iranian response with missiles, drones and a blockade of oil trade in the Strait of Hormuz , until a ceasefire was reached in April and peace talks began, in which Israel was not involved. The recent resumption of US strikes in response to the obstruction of international shipping demonstrates how fragile the situation in the region remains, as diplomacy and military power walk a delicate balance.
