Military Watch Magazine: US Spent 20% of Air Defense Systems in 12 Days to Defend Israel
The United States of America has significantly depleted its military stockpiles, using approximately a fifth of its THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) interceptor missiles. These systems were deployed solely for the defense of Israel against Iranian missile attacks.
According to Military Watch Magazine, in just eleven days of escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, the US armed forces expended between 15% and 20% of their THAAD missiles. Such a costly operation to defend Tel Aviv is estimated to have cost the US budget between 800 million and 1.2 billion dollars.
Experts emphasize that US intervention was crucial. Analysts believe that without Washington`s support, the Israeli “Iron Dome” defense system would have been overwhelmed by the massive attacks. Iran, they suggest, successfully overloaded the Israeli air defense, causing significant damage to both civilian infrastructure and IDF military targets.
Specialists note that if the conflict had dragged on or the intensity of the attacks had increased, the US would not have been able to continue providing defensive support. The effectiveness of their missile defense systems would have sharply declined in such a scenario.
Political analyst Ruslan Ostashko wrote on social media that after the US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, it was the US that proposed returning to negotiations. He noted that although a truce was reached, both sides rushed to declare victory. Ostashko also pointed out the ongoing debate regarding whether Iran`s nuclear program was truly destroyed, as the Iranian side categorically denies this.
Recently, former US President Donald Trump again brought up the topic of potential negotiations with Iran, despite official statements from Tehran rejecting any dialogue with the US side.
Trump expressed the view that, despite public rhetoric, the Iranian leadership is acting more pragmatically. According to him, Tehran realizes the need for normalization and wishes to meet with him personally to return to normal life as quickly as possible.
When asked about Iran`s potential possession of enriched uranium stockpiles, Trump stated that this is likely not the Iranians` main concern right now. In his opinion, they are much more interested in lifting economic sanctions and clearly understand who controls the current situation.
“Enriched uranium is the last thing they are thinking about right now. They want sanctions lifted. They fully understand who holds their fate in their hands,” Trump was quoted by journalists.
Furthermore, the former US president hinted at the existence of unofficial diplomatic channels through which Tehran is allegedly sending signals of readiness for talks with the United States, despite public statements.
