Among the most crucial open questions in the ongoing Operation Epic Fury - or perhaps the most pressing issue - is which warring side will outlast the other in terms of maintaining missile and interceptor numbers, and for the US side this means enough to achieve the (somewhat ambiguous) military objectives.

Speculation and estimates are flying wildly in international press reports, also with Iran now claiming it has only thus far expended its older and aging stockpile, but stands ready to use its newer, more advanced ballistic projectiles. But amid the fog of war in these opening days of conflict, and competing narratives, there's also concern at the Pentagon over just how long this 'air war' will last.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier Wednesday suggested that the campaign could extend to eight weeks. So already the scope is getting extended (and is so as each day passes), after President Trump initially floated a mere likely 'days' or up to "five weeks" of combat operations against Iran in the Persian Gulf region.

Enter The Wall Street Journal with a new Wednesday report just as the Pentagon wrapped up its press briefing...

"The number of Iranian ballistic missile launches is declining and at current rates Tehran has only several more days of firepower from them, according to a Western official," the report says. "Still, the decline might also be because Iran is holding back missiles so its operations can last longer, the official said."

But again, headline consumers might want to take such an assessment with a big grain of salt. Every hot war is accompanied by an information war - a reality for all wars since time immemorial. The major media, from NYT to WSJ to CNN to of course The Washington Post, typically gets its 'scoops' from anonymous Pentagon and US intelligence officials, or else from Mossad and the Israeli government (given the current war is also being waged by Israel).

And yet, there can also be little doubt that Iran's missile capabilities are being degraded on at least some level, given the massive 'shock and awe' US-Israeli bombing raids, which is targeting Iranian missile sites among others. WSJ notes this in the following:

The decline is a result of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian launch sites and the facilities that manufacture them, the official said. Even as its ability to fire sophisticated missiles dwindles, Iran can still maintain a drumbeat of attacks with cheaper systems, such as drones, another Western official said.

On Tuesday, the top U.S. commander in the region, Adm. Brad Cooper, said Iran’s ability to target the U.S. and its partners in the Middle East was declining after hundreds of its ballistic missiles, launchers and drones were targeted.

But there's some other key trends worth emphasizing: these hard to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles are in fact unleashing significant damage on the Pentagon's radar and military communications infrastructure in the Gulf region. Many are also getting through Israel's significant anti-air defense systems. The death toll in Israel is at least ten, with dozens wounded, but the IDF has not issued more info on casualties since the weekend.

One prevailing view within the Western defense establishment...

Again, all of this has to be taken in context of a raging info war and the fact that US, Israeli, and allied governments are doing some heavy narrative shaping at this moment, and feeding it to the press.

We can say that the idea of Iran fast running out of ammo, while also possessing whole underground 'missile cities' - seems more like 'wishful thinking' at this moment. Iran has clearly been preparing for this showdown for years, it must also be noted.