Pentagon Pushes for Faster Weapons Production

The continuing conflict is also putting pressure on U.S. military stockpiles, particularly supplies of advanced missile interceptors.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department was working to accelerate weapons procurement and production to ensure U.S. forces have the weapons required to respond to growing threats.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington based think tank, has warned that the war with Iran has depleted some of the U.S. military’s already limited stocks of advanced missile defence interceptors.

U.S. Central Command said the naval blockade had redirected 53 commercial vessels, disabled two and involved the boarding of two others through Saturday.

The developments underline the increasingly interconnected nature of the conflict, with Houthi attacks, Iran’s demands over the Strait of Hormuz and pressure on U.S. weapons supplies creating new risks for regional security, maritime trade and global energy markets.