Iran Missile Attack: US Fired Up To 70 Patriot Interceptors In Jordan, Report Says

The US military fired as many as 60 to 70 Patriot air-defence interceptors and more than a dozen Thaad interceptors last week to counter an Iranian missile attack on Jordan, according to US and regional officials familiar with the matter, a Wall Street Journal report said.

Iran launched around 20 ballistic missiles in the attack, making the US expenditure unusually heavy. One official said the number of interceptors used was roughly equivalent to what the US military has expended in an entire week at other points during the war.

The latest salvo has highlighted growing pressure on US air-defence systems as Iran employs increasingly complex missile attacks aimed at overwhelming American and allied defences.

Iran Adapts Missile Tactics

According to the report, US officials say Iran has increasingly varied its missile types, trajectories, manoeuvres and warheads in an effort to challenge air-defence systems.

“These types of new tactics that we’re seeing show that the Iranians continue to adapt, continue to learn, continue to experiment, see what works, what doesn’t work,” Fabian Hinz, an expert on Iran’s missile force with Conflict Armament Research, told WSJ.

In July, an Iranian missile attack on Jordan killed three US servicemembers. US officials familiar with that incident said Iran had obtained high-resolution satellite imagery of the targeted base from Chinese entities before the strike.

The attack came amid an escalating exchange between Tehran and Washington. After Iranian missiles came close to US warships in the region, the US military destroyed five Iranian oil tankers. Iran subsequently targeted US troops in Jordan.

Pentagon Denies Interceptor Shortage

The latest use of interceptors has renewed concerns about the strain on US missile-defence stockpiles. A new Defense Department inspector general report said the war had resulted in “strategic inventory shortfalls” and exposed bottlenecks in the US industrial base for replenishing munitions.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell rejected claims that US stocks were running out.

“Reports suggesting that the United States’ munitions are depleted are completely false,” Parnell said, adding that the US military remained capable of responding to threats.

President Donald Trump also said Monday that the US has large numbers of interceptors in stock and is increasing production.

Lockheed Martin, which manufactures Patriot interceptors, produced a record 620 in 2025 and has set a goal of producing roughly 2,000 annually.

The Wall Street Journal has previously reported that the US had used around 1,700 Patriot interceptors and more than 200 Thaad interceptors in the war by mid-July. US Navy ships had fired another 150 Standard Missile interceptors against Iranian missiles and drones, according to officials cited by the newspaper.

The strain has implications beyond the Middle East. US military planners have raised concerns that the rapid use of precision weapons and air-defence interceptors could affect American readiness for potential threats from China and Russia. US stockpiles of PAC-3 Patriot interceptors and ATACMS missiles in Europe have reportedly fallen below critical levels, with replenishment potentially taking years.

At the same time, Gulf countries have sought additional interceptors after months of Iranian missile and drone attacks, while the diversion of air-defence systems has also affected Ukraine’s ability to counter Russian airstrikes.

The growing competition between Iran's missile production and the US-led effort to replenish interceptor stocks has become a key factor in the military calculations surrounding the conflict.