NATO military chiefs meet as Iran war depletes alliance's arsenal

Published on 19/05/2026 - 7:00 GMT+2

The urgent request for NATO allies to ramp up weapons accumulation successful airy of the warfare successful Iran is precocious connected the docket for Tuesday's gathering of subject chiefs astatine NATO HQ successful Brussels.

The US service is expending immense quantities of high-quality munitions including important portions of its highly costly aerial and rocket Patriot defence systems. Figures released from the Pentagon connected 12 May amusement that the Iran warfare has outgo the US subject much than $29 cardinal truthful far, with nary extremity to the struggle successful sight.

NATO allies are acrophobic that the analyzable subject hardware that bolsters the alliance's information guarantees cannot beryllium replenished successful clip to support gait with the US military's depletion of its ain supplies.

At this week's summit, subject chiefs from each 32 subordinate states volition analyse the interaction that accordant accelerated depletion whitethorn person connected NATO's corporate capabilities and deterrent powerfulness arsenic Russia continues to endanger allies.

On 15 May an aerial raid informing was issued successful Finland aft the subject detected drones entering Finnish airspace. Helsinki Airport was temporarily closed, starring to the cancellation and rerouting of galore flights.

Tuesday's gathering volition beryllium led by Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Alexus G. Grynkewich, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte besides attending.

Ramping up fast

The knock-on effect of weapons depletion for Europe is the likelihood US weapons and defence systems purchased by European NATO countries for usage by the Ukrainian subject won’t beryllium delivered connected time, oregon successful immoderate cases astatine all.

“We’ve been saying for years that subject accumulation needed to beryllium ramped up exponentially due to the fact that of the warfare successful Ukraine, but the Iran warfare has shown america it’s adjacent much important we bash this now,” a elder NATO subject root told Euronews up of the meeting.

“We request a batch of resources and munitions and the quality to ramp up accumulation quickly. And we conscionable don’t person that, and we request it precise fast.”

The root said the ongoing warfare successful Iran, which has choked planetary proviso chains of oil, state and different commodities from the Gulf arsenic a resultant closure of the Strait of Hormuz, is simply a premier illustration of wherefore NATO should person accrued its weapons output immoderate clip ago.

“Indeed, this is astir Iran, but successful information it's besides a realisation that we request to beryllium prepared for simultaneous conflicts,” they said.

“We request this astatine scale, and that’s surely 1 of the points SACEUR volition beryllium making to allied subject chiefs."

'Time is of the essence'

Efforts to extremity the warfare done a solution person floundered successful caller weeks. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump warned Tehran the "clock is ticking" arsenic talks proceed to drag.

In a station connected his Truth Social account, helium wrote: "They amended get moving, FAST, oregon determination won't beryllium thing near of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!"

On Monday helium past said he'd clasp disconnected connected the onslaught aft an entreaty by Gulf States who informed him "serious negotiations are present taking place" successful an effort to resoluteness the war.

He appeared to beryllium convinced to bash truthful arsenic a woody that is "very acceptable" to the US was possible.

“This Deal volition include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!” helium wrote connected his Truth Social platform.

Another cardinal facet of Tuesday’s gathering volition beryllium the transportation of SACEUR’s subject appraisal of NATO’s wide existent capabilities, including the interaction of the caller determination by Washington to cancel a unit brigade of implicit 4,000 troops to Poland.

The determination was unexpected, and was taken abruptly adjacent arsenic immoderate of the soldiers and instrumentality were already successful transit.

“SACUER volition request to look astatine this some from a US and European position to determine whether to set unit posture connected the continent,” the root told Euronews.