Iranian drones 'bigger problem than anticipated,' US officials tell lawmakers: Report

ISTANBUL

Iran's Shahed attack drones are stretching US air defense supplies thin, with officials privately warning lawmakers that not all incoming threats can be intercepted, CNN reported Wednesday.

The drones pose a “bigger problem than anticipated” for the US, and US forces do not have the capacity to “intercept them all,” officials told lawmakers in Tuesday's closed-door meeting on Iran, according to a source familiar with the matter.

"We do not have an unlimited supply" of defensive munitions, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly warned, saying Iran's vast drone stockpile and production capacity had created a logistical "math problem" for the American military forces.

Kelly's concerns were echoed by Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who said officials had given no clear timeline for the operation, describing the situation as "very open-ended," a contrast to Trump's claim that the campaign would wrap up in four to five weeks and was running ahead of schedule.

Trump administration officials sought to play down the concerns, pointing to Gulf states that were also stockpiling interceptor missiles, a source familiar with the briefing told CNN.

Officials also sidestepped questions about whether the strikes could turn Iran into a failed state, while clarifying that regime change was not the primary objective. Trump said Monday that Washington's objectives in Iran include destroying Iran's missile capabilities and navy, blocking Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, a claim Iran rejects, and "ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders."

Amid the supply concerns, top executives from major US defense contractors are set to visit the White House on Friday to discuss accelerating weapons production, a White House official told CNN.

The US and Israeli attacks on Iran launched Saturday have killed several senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Six US service members have been killed since operations began as part of Iran's retaliatory strikes.