Did Trump berate Hegseth over Iran missiles crunch? Here's what White House said

US President Donald Trump clashed with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over a growing shortage of military munitions that could constrain Washington's options in the ongoing Iran conflict, The Washington Post reported. The White House and the Pentagon, however, have strongly denied the report, calling it "fake news."

According to the Washington Post, the exchange took place on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting at Camp David on July 31.

Trump reportedly questioned Hegseth about why he had not been informed of the seriousness of the dwindling weapons stockpile, telling the Defence Secretary he believed the issue "had been fixed."

The newspaper, citing a source, said the missile shortage may also have influenced Trump's decision not to proceed with what he had earlier described as "the biggest attack since World War II" against Iran over the weekend.

The Independent, citing the Washington Post's report, said Hegseth blamed Deputy Defence Secretary Stephen Feinberg for the lapse, claiming Trump had not been fully briefed about the state of US munitions.

The Trump administration has, however, strongly denied The Washington Post report.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the report "100% fake news" and insisted, "Literally never happened. And President Trump has the utmost confidence in Secretary Hegseth."

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell also denied the claims, saying Hegseth "did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture, and he did not blame Deputy Secretary Feinberg."

He further described reports of depleted stockpiles and internal disagreements as "fictional."

The reported dispute comes as the Iran conflict enters its sixth month and concerns mount over the pace at which the US is consuming advanced missile interceptors.

The Independent, citing a recent report by the Center for Strategic and Studies (CSIS), said the US military's inventory of Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors has declined significantly since the conflict began in February.

Last month, Hegseth told a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing that military operations related to Iran had cost an estimated $37.5 billion.

He also requested an additional $67 billion from Congress to replenish weapons inventories and expand production of key munitions.

Despite the reported private confrontation, Hegseth publicly praised Trump during the same Cabinet meeting, commending the President's leadership on Iran and describing his decisions as demonstrating the "courage" to ensure Tehran never acquires a nuclear weapon.

- Ends