RT | Monday, March 16, 2026 
Dwindling stockpiles and soaring costs: US allies struggle to contain Iranian attacks

Reports from France suggest it too is having problems with diminishing weapons stores. Senior French officials reportedly met last week to discuss an escalating shortage of air-to-air missiles being rapidly expended to intercept Iranian kamikaze drones over the United Arab Emirates. While US President Donald Trump claims the Pentagon has an “unlimited” stockpile to pursue regime change in Tehran for as long as it takes, mounting evidence suggests Iran’s retaliation will grow more devastating over time. –Why are the French running out of missiles? – Like many US allies, France declined to join the Israeli-American bombing campaign against Iran and is only conducting ‘defensive’ operations. That includes flying combat missions over the UAE since the war began more than two weeks ago, with French Rafale fighter jets intercepting Iranian kamikaze drones. On Sunday, the weekly La Tribune reported a “crisis meeting” held earlier in the week over the rapid expenditure of MICA missiles used for the interceptions. Stockpiles are limited and too costly to replenish, especially compared to the Iranian weapons they take down: an older-generation MICA missile costs an estimated €600,000 ($685,000) to €700,000 ($800,000) – more than an order of magnitude more than its targets. The French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) is reluctant to seek cheaper replacements, as they would inevitably be…Read more