US President Donald Trump confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over critical munitions shortages during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David last week, according to a Washington Post report published on Wednesday.
Citing two people familiar with the exchange, the newspaper said Trump demanded an explanation after learning that shortages of key weapons, including long-range guided missiles and Patriot air-defence interceptors, had not been resolved despite his belief that the issue had already been addressed.
The report said concerns over depleted stockpiles have contributed to Trump's decision not to authorise additional large-scale strikes against Iran in recent days.
White House rejects report
According to the report, Hegseth defended his handling of the issue and blamed Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg for the shortages and for failing to fully brief the president on the state of US weapons inventories.
The report also noted that Patriot missile production can take up to two years despite new manufacturing agreements.
The White House dismissed the account, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling it "100 percent fake news" and saying Trump has "the utmost confidence" in Hegseth.
The Pentagon also denied the allegations, with chief spokesperson Sean Parnell saying Hegseth "did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture" and describing the report as "fictional."
