Trump hits out at munitions shortages reports with threats to 'leakers'

US President Donald Trump lashed out on Thursday at media reports about dwindling munitions stockpiles, threatening jail for "leakers" as his frustration with the Iran war boiled over.

Trump railed against the reports on his Truth Social platform, saying the United States has "massive amounts of 'munitions' especially of certain types," without giving further details. He also vented over "the 'leakers' of these treasonous statements," warning they "are being hunted down" and "long term jail sentences will be sought!"

He added that production is ramping up, with "large amounts" of weapons being "manufactured and shipped to the US as needed. Defence companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country's history."

The Washington Post reported that Trump demanded answers about the munitions shortages from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth last Friday at a cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat. The Post also said that the shortages led Trump to call off fresh strikes against Iran, even as he had been rattling his sabres at Tehran with threats to hit "very hard."

Trump told Hegseth he thought the munitions issue "had been fixed," the Post reported, citing two unidentified sources familiar with the exchange.

CNN reported on Tuesday that 80% of the THAAD interceptor stock was "nearly exhausted," along with shortages of long-range guided missiles, throwing a spanner in Trump's war strategy. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt branded coverage of the exchange with Hegseth "FAKE NEWS!" "I was at Camp David with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth. This literally never happened," she wrote on X.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the reports about Trump's clash with Hegseth and the weapons shortages were "equally fictional."