‎US suspends arms deliveries to NATO ally Estonia as war on Iran draining US arsenal 

The United States has suspended arms deliveries to NATO ally Estonia as its aggression on Iran has put a major strain on US weapons stockpiles.

‎Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur announced the news on Tuesday, saying that his American counterpart Pete Hegseth had told him in a phone call that the US would be suspending all arms deliveries to the Baltic state.

‎According to Pevkur, Washington will no longer ship HIMARS light multiple rocket launcher ammunition and Javelin missiles to its NATO ally, which borders Russia.

‎The US, in collaboration with Israel, waged an unprovoked war of aggression against Iran on February 28.

‎The 40-day war had severely drained its weapons stockpiles by the time a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire took effect on April 8.

‎It is not yet clear whether the same measure of suspending arms deliveries would affect Finland – another NATO ally that has the longest border with Russia among NATO member states.

‎Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on Tuesday that “this has no impact on Finland's defense capabilities.”

‎This is while Finland’s Defense Ministry stated that Washington has not yet confirmed whether it is also canceling Finnish weapons orders.

‎However, in official-level communications, Washington has indicated that there may be delays in deliveries.

‎Helsinki agreed last year to acquire missile and rocket launcher systems from Washington for use in, fighter jets, among other things.

‎Last week, Reuters, citing three unnamed sources familiar with the matter, reported that Washington had informed its European allies of weapons delivery delays as the Iran war depletes the US’s stockpile.

‎The report added that the measure would affect several European countries, including those in the Baltic region and in Scandinavia.

‎Some of the delayed deliveries, according to the report, involve arms purchased by European states under the government-to-government Foreign Military Sales program (FMS).

‎The US has faced weapon shortages for years following the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, Israel’s genocide in Gaza in 2023, and two imposed wars against Iran.

‎The shortage has even pushed the Pentagon to use civilian factories for producing munitions.

‎Citing some unnamed military sources, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that senior US military officials have already held talks with top executives of major automakers, including General Motors (GM.N), and Ford Motor (F.N), to produce weapons and other military supplies.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir