OAN Staff Katherine Mosack and Brooke Mallory
4:30 PM – Tuesday, March 3, 2026
In a Tuesday phone interview with POLITICO, President Donald Trump asserted that Iran’s weaponry is nearing depletion following a joint military campaign between his administration and Israel.
Although Trump noted that he expects Iranian forces to “keep lobbing missiles for a while,” the fact that the U.S. and Israel have established air supremacy and are operating with “impunity” over major Iranian cities is proof that Tehran’s defensive and offensive capabilities are failing, he continued.
“They’re running out and they’re running out of areas to shoot them, because they’re being decimated,” Trump said. “They’re running out of launchers.”
The Tuesday remarks come on the heels of a Truth Social post from the previous day, in which Trump stated that the U.S. “munitions stockpiles have, at the medium and upper medium grade, never been higher or better.”
“We have a virtually unlimited supply of these weapons,” Trump wrote on Monday.
He also lamented that “Sleepy” President Joe Biden gave away “hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth” of weaponry and money and “didn’t bother to replace it” — likely referring to all the U.S. military aid and weapons provided to Ukraine during Biden’s administration.
However, some analysts have questioned whether Trump could be referring to Biden’s disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal as well.
According to a 2022 U.S. Department of Defense (now DoW) report, approximately $7.12 billion worth of military equipment previously transferred to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) remained in Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal on August 31, 2021. This equipment — much of which was seized by the Taliban — included over 40,000 military vehicles valued at roughly $4.12 billion, 78 aircraft worth approximately $923.3 million, and more than 316,000 small arms. Additionally, the inventory comprised nearly 1.5 million rounds of specialty munitions and over 9,500 air-to-ground munitions valued at roughly $6.54 million.
Nonetheless, during the POLITCIO discussion, Trump credited himself with rebuilding and reinvigorating the stockpile during and after his first term — further positioning the U.S. to “WIN BIG” against Iran in 2026.
“Fortunately, I rebuilt the military in my first term, and continue to do so. The United States is stocked, and ready to WIN, BIG!!!” said the president. “Defense companies are on a rapid tear to build the various things we need,” as they are “under emergency orders,” he added.
Trump suggested the conflict’s duration could resolve within days or drag on for weeks.
As of Tuesday, the hostilities entered their fourth day, marked by Iranian strikes targeting several regional neighbors, including Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Regarding the prospect of a post-conflict Tehran, President Trump also indicated he remains open to establishing ties with new leadership.
When asked if the window for Iranian defectors to help form a new government had closed, Trump responded, “Nope, not too late. Forty-nine [senior Iranian leaders] were killed, don’t forget. So that goes pretty deep, right? New ones are emerging. A lot of people want the job.”
Following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Trump’s vision for regime change appears highly fluid. Rather than insisting on a traditional transition, he even signaled a willingness to support non-government officials stepping into power once the military exchange concludes.
On Saturday, shortly after the first strikes were carried out, Trump released a video message telling members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and other law enforcement, “Lay down your arms. You will be treated fairly with total immunity.”
To the citizens of Iran, he urged, “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”
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