Western Newspapers: Gulf Defenses Depleted America’s Annual Production in Two Days

The Economist magazine reveals that Gulf states are using more interceptor missiles daily—or every two days—than the United States can produce annually, amid the recent military escalation with Iran. This raises questions about the sustainability of their defense capabilities should the confrontation continue.

Despite official Gulf governments denying any shortages in their stockpiles, the high rate of use reflects a rapid depletion of their defense arsenals.

Estimates indicate that Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles during the initial days of the escalation, while Israel and Gulf states claim to have intercepted most of them. This places significant pressure on multi-layered air defense systems.

Financial Cost and Strategic Depletion

According to a report published by the British website Middle East Eye, the high interception rates not only signify defensive effectiveness but also represent a massive financial burden and a strategic drain on the stockpiles of the United States and its Gulf allies. The report quoted researcher Kelly Greco of the Stimson Center as saying that maintaining this level of interception is extremely costly, and that serious questions arise about the ability of the US military and its regional partners to continue operating at the same pace, especially since they have not faced attacks of this magnitude since the first Gulf War.

Estimates indicate that the cost of an interception in just one day in a country like the UAE could exceed $2 billion, not including the rest of the region.

Production and Replacement Gap
For its part, The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington is facing difficulties in replenishing its stockpiles of multi-layered interceptor missiles, including Patriot and THAAD systems, Standard Missiles, and long-range naval munitions.

The overall conclusion of Western reports is that the ongoing confrontation is not limited to an exchange of blows, but rather represents a long-term race of attrition, in which America and the occupying entity seek to hasten the end of the war, in contrast to Tehran’s attempt to deplete the missile defense systems of America and its allies in the Gulf, thus opening the door to a new deterrence equation whose title is “the cost of interception” before the cost of attack.