Trump calls media ‘treasonous scum’ over reports of low Iran war munitions

Comments are the latest swipe by US president against critical media coverage of what experts call troubling shortages.

United States President Donald Trump has again pushed back on media reports detailing dangerously low munitions stockpiles as the US-Israel war with Iran stretches into its seventh month.

In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump said the military was producing munitions at “levels never seen before” and has “far more than we could ever use”.

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He also again took aim at media outlets that have reported on US shortages of both offensive and defensive weapons, calling them “treasonous scum” who refuse to “accurately report” on the war with Iran.

Trump made similar comments about news reports of munitions shortages in August, after the Washington Post reported he had grown frustrated with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth over the supply shortages.

At the time, Trump said those reports were “treasonous statements” and promised whoever had leaked the information to the press would be “hunted down” and that “long term jail sentences will be sought”.

Numerous US news outlets have reported on the toll the Iran war has had on US military munitions and other supplies, especially those needed for protecting US bases and regional allies against Iran-launched missiles and drones.

The reports have been backed by experts, including the Washington, DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which said in July that the US had just more than a third of its Patriot missile interceptors left, and about half its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors.

Large portions of offensive weapons stockpiles, including Tomahawk missiles, Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs) and Precision Strike Missile (PrSMs), have also been used in the war, according to CSIS.

Even with a slate of new Trump administration agreements with defence contractors meant to accelerate production, experts have warned that replenishing US supplies of key weapons could take at least two years.

In the short term, the shortages could harm deterrence against adversaries with more advanced weapons technology than Iran, former military officials have warned.

Press freedom groups, meanwhile, have said Trump has taken a number of alarming steps against critical media outlets since returning to office in 2025.

Trump has asked federal broadcast regulators to pull licences for media outlets in response to their coverage.

Federal prosecutors have also taken the unusual step of subpoenaing an increasing number of journalists in an effort to track down confidential sources in the administration who have leaked information to the press.