WASHINGTON — The U.S. military is facing shortages of some munitions and delays in replacing them after months of combat in Iran, according to a Pentagon inspector general report released Sept. 14. The report, covering the conflict through the end of June, says weapons spending during Operation Epic Fury has reduced strategic inventories and exposed weaknesses in the defense industry’s ability to rapidly increase production. The findings are among the clearest public acknowledgments that the campaign has strained U.S. stockpiles, including supplies of missile interceptors. Officials in the Pentagon’s acquisition and sustainment office told investigators that munitions use had produced “strategic inventory shortfalls” and revealed “industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply.” The department said it is trying to shorten procurement and production timelines while building reserves of critical materials, components and selected weapons. The watchdog identified solid rocket motors, high-grade explosives and propellants as persistent constraints. The report also cited the difficulty of hiring enough workers with specialized manufacturing skills. The assessment conflicts with repeated public assurances from President Donald Trump and other administration officials that the United States has ample ammunition. Trump said in a social media post last month that the country had “virtually unlimited amounts” of mid- to high-grade ammunition and was producing weapons at unprecedented levels. The White House and Pentagon had not provided immediate responses to the report. The inspector general said 18 U.S. service members had died in the conflict through the reporting period, including 11 killed in action. More than 400 others had been wounded in action. The Pentagon estimated the operation’s cost at $33.4 billion through June. Munitions accounted for $22.3 billion of that total. Iranian attacks damaged hundreds of buildings and other structures at U.S. military bases across the region, while the United States lost dozens of aircraft, including fighter jets, refueling planes, helicopters and as many as 30 Reaper drones. The report comes as the conflict approaches its 200-day mark, raising questions about how prepared the United States is to sustain the campaign or respond to another major military emergency. Expanding production of complex weapons can take years, particularly when manufacturers depend on limited suppliers and highly specialized materials and labor.