U.S. Patriot missile stocks ‘beyond critical’ due to Iran war, officials say

A "beyond critical" shortage of advanced Patriot missile interceptors in Europe is fueling concerns about NATO's vulnerabilities to potential Russian attacks, according to U.S. defense officials. The shortfall is largely a result of U.S. President Donald Trump's war with Iran, which has led to the relocation of U.S. missile stocks to the Middle East, where they have been used to combat Iranian drones and missiles.

The most concerning shortage involves Patriot missile interceptors, which can shoot down Russia's high-speed ballistic missiles. Without sufficient Patriots, NATO countries could be "forced to take punch after punch in the mouth" in the event of a Russian ballistic missile assault, according to a U.S. defense official. European forces do not have enough Patriots to stop a sustained ballistic missile attack, leaving them with "very limited" capability to defend against a single missile strike or a stray missile that goes off course.

While the shortage is not imminent, CIA Director John Ratcliffe warned Moscow to avoid attacking NATO countries this week. However, experts caution that Russia could potentially launch an attack on NATO by 2030. Ukraine, already facing a Russian invasion, is also struggling to maintain its air defense systems, with previous U.S. transfers of Patriots further depleting Europe's stockpiles.