Washington DC:The stockpiles of US missiles have depleted sharply during the seven-weekIran war. The US military has used up nearly half of its stockpile of Patriot air defense interceptor missiles, reported Washington DC-based The Hill news outlet, citing a new analysis from the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The US also reportedly used six other key missile stockpiles during the war.

The CSIS analysis claimed that Washington has fired almost 50 per cent of its Patriot missiles, while other key missile systems used extensively during the war are more than half of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defenses (THAADs) and over 45 percent of its Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs) systems. For the unversed, THAADs are used to protect against short-, medium-, and intermediate-range missiles.

The analysis further revealed that rebuilding the stockpiles of these missiles, including Tomahawks and JASSMs, to pre 'Operation Epic Fury' level will take at least four years. As per CNN, the figures published by the CSIS align with the Pentagon's classified data. Meanwhile, it is believed that the US still has enough of a stockpile of weapons to sustain the Iran war if the ceasefire collapses. However, experts believe that the current inventory by the US might not be enough if it has to go into a war with a superpower like China.

Donald Trump Extends Ceasefire:

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday extended the ceasefire with Iran. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the ceasefire would remain in place until Iran's "leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal" and negotiations are concluded.

"Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured… we have been asked to hold our attack," he wrote, adding that the request came from Asim Munir and Shehbaz Sharif, whose government has been attempting to mediate between Washington and Tehran.

However, Trump's decision is a 180-degree shift from its earlier stance of threatening to bomb Iran if the deal was not reached before the end of the earlier ceasefire between the two countries. Earlier, the US President had told CNBC that if Iran did not meet US demands, "I expect to be bombing." The ceasefire, originally announced on April 7, had been set to expire at 8 pm in Washington on Tuesday (local time). However, Trump instructed its military to maintain its current naval blockade during the extended truce, adding that forces would "continue the blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able."

Also Read:Did Pakistan Influence Trump’s Iran Ceasefire Extension?

Notably, the ceasefire was announced after the diplomatic efforts to find a resolution to end the war failed. US Vice President JD Vance had been expected to travel to Islamabad for a second round of negotiations, but his trip was put on hold after Iran failed to respond to negotiation demands of the US.

Iran signalled it would not take part in the proposed talks. The semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that Tehran considers negotiations under current conditions to be futile, citing what it described as Washington's "excessive demands."

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