President Donald Trump has shelved plans for a major escalation against Iran after senior military advisers warned that expanded operations could dangerously deplete US air defense interceptor stockpiles in the Middle East, according to a New York Times report citing sources familiar with the matter.

The decision followed a meeting with senior advisers and cabinet officials, which focused on the Pentagon's shrinking inventory of Patriot interceptors and other air defense systems. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine reportedly advised that a broader campaign was militarily feasible but risked dangerously reducing the interceptors available to US Central Command. His spokesman declined to comment when approached.

The shelved plan reportedly included strikes on Iranian coastal radar systems, anti-ship missile launchers and small attack boats tied to recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, along with broader strikes on energy infrastructure and nuclear sites. The pullback came despite Trump threatening Iran and the Houthis with "major military punishment" on Thursday after the Houthis struck two Saudi oil tankers, telling Axios he was weighing a "massive attack" bigger than any before it.

The US has fired more than 1,200 Patriot interceptors since the war began, at a cost exceeding $4 million each, with officials describing stockpiles as already worryingly low before further depletion. Three American soldiers were killed in Jordan last week after a ballistic missile penetrated US air defenses during an Iranian missile barrage. A separate Washington Post report cited a US official warning that American forces lack sufficient THAAD interceptors to safely sustain the campaign, adding that the White House itself may not fully grasp the severity of the shortfall.

Defense analyst Mark Cancian told CNN that continuing the current pace of fighting risked raising the threat level in the Indo-Pacific, given that the same missile systems — including THAAD, Patriot, SM-3, Tomahawk and JASSM — are shared across theaters involving China and North Korea. The shortage has also alarmed allies including Japan and South Korea, which depend on US extended deterrence, while the UAE this week denied reports that it, too, was running low on interceptors.

Officials briefed on the discussion said concerns also extended beyond munitions, including fears of a wider regional war, strained relations with Gulf allies, a possible global economic downturn, and worsening energy and refugee crises.