The United States has suffered extensive losses to aircraft, military facilities and diplomatic infrastructure during its war with Iran, while a Pentagon watchdog has warned that the conflict has also exposed shortages in advanced munitions and bottlenecks in the US defence supply chain.A US Department of Defense inspector general report released Monday provided the first official accounting of the damage from the conflict, covering the period from February 28 to June 30. The report said Iranian strikes damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at US military installations across eight countries, while dozens of American aircraft and drones were damaged or destroyed.The report also found that the war had “resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply”, raising questions over Washington’s ability to sustain a prolonged high-intensity conflict.The findings come even as President Donald Trump has pushed back against reports of dwindling US weapons stocks. In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump said the US was producing and delivering advanced weapons to American forces in the Middle East.“I’ve just received a report that the United States is producing more exquisite and elite weapons than at any time in our history. They are being delivered on a daily basis to our Forces in the Middle East and beyond,” Trump wrote.
How much has Iran war cost US?
The Pentagon watchdog estimated that about $22 billion was spent on munitions between February 28 and June 30 during Operation Epic Fury, the US military’s name for the campaign.The broader cost of the war was estimated at about $33 billion during the same period, according to the report. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had separately told Congress in July that the war had cost $37.5 billion.
US aircraft losses in the Iran war, including fighter jets, refuelling tankers, helicopters and drones.
The report’s assessment provides a broader picture of the financial and operational burden on the US military after months of strikes involving American and Israeli forces on one side and Iran on the other.
Trump says US weapons production is surging
Trump has repeatedly rejected reports that the US military is facing shortages of key weapons.“Our defense company factories are moving 24/7 while at the same time, building, on average 4-to-5 large-scale brand-new plants, each. A primary focus of this production has been Patriots, THAAD systems, Tomahawks and other standard missile systems, of which we already have large numbers in stock,” Trump wrote.However, the Pentagon inspector general’s report acknowledged shortages in advanced munitions and problems in replenishing stocks.A separate analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that US stocks of some critical missile interceptors had fallen sharply during the conflict.As of July 27, the US was estimated to have between 759 and 827 Patriot interceptors, down from about 2,330 before the war. THAAD interceptors had fallen to between 234 and 278, compared with 452 before the conflict.The Pentagon has moved to increase production. It signed a deal with Northrop Grumman to expand production of THAAD and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors, although new systems could take years to become available.
Dozens of US aircraft and drones damaged or destroyed
The watchdog report documented losses across a wide range of US aircraft, including fighter jets, refuelling tankers, surveillance aircraft and helicopters.At least four F-15E fighter jets were destroyed. Three were shot down by friendly fire over Kuwait on March 1, while another was lost during combat over Iran in April. All aircrews were recovered.At least one F-35A stealth fighter was damaged by Iranian fire, while at least one A-10 ground-attack aircraft was shot down.The US also lost or damaged at least seven KC-135 aerial refuelling tankers. One crashed in Iraq during a refuelling mission, while five others were damaged on the ground in Saudi Arabia by Iranian missiles and drones.
The cost of Operation Epic Fury: US military spending and deployment during the Iran war
At least one E-3 Sentry airborne early-warning aircraft was damaged at Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base. An HH-60W helicopter was also damaged during a combat search and rescue mission.The losses extended to unmanned systems. At least one MQ-4C Triton surveillance aircraft crashed, while four AH-6 helicopters were destroyed after being deemed unrecoverable during a combat search and rescue operation.At least one AH-64 Apache attack helicopter was shot down near the Strait of Hormuz on June 8. An MH-60S helicopter later crashed in the Arabian Sea on July 1.The largest reported loss involved the MQ-9 Reaper, with as many as 30 drones destroyed.
417 US military personnel wounded
The Pentagon report said the US military recorded at least 11 personnel killed in action during the conflict, while seven others died in non-hostile incidents.At least 417 US service members were wounded in Iranian attacks through June 30.Some of the deaths occurred during Iranian strikes on US positions in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq. Other fatalities resulted from aircraft accidents classified as non-hostile incidents.
Iran strikes damaged US bases across eight countries
Iranian attacks damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and other structures at US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan, according to the watchdog.The report did not provide a total cost for the damage to US military facilities.One of the most consequential attacks targeted the US Navy’s regional logistics hub in Bahrain, forcing the military to shift personnel, assets, storage facilities and supply lines to alternative locations.The disruption was severe enough for Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to become an important logistics hub. The report said the shift resulted in 14-to-18-day logistics cycles for some supplies.The report also said establishing adequate naval bases and support ports posed challenges because of uncertainties over host-nation access and logistical arrangements.
US diplomatic facilities suffered $184 million damage
Iranian attacks also damaged US diplomatic facilities in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with the combined damage estimated at $184 million.Iraq accounted for the largest share. The US mission reported more than 600 attacks through the end of June, with damage estimated at nearly $157 million.The US Consulate General in Erbil suffered damage to multiple buildings, while the US Embassy in Baghdad and the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center were also hit.In Kuwait, the US Embassy suspended operations in March following attacks and damage to its facilities, resulting in an estimated cost of nearly $14.75 million.Two Iranian drones struck the US Embassy compound in Riyadh on March 3, causing damage estimated at about $11.5 million. The US Consulate General in Dubai also sustained damage to a utility building.
Thousands of US diplomatic personnel displaced
The conflict also disrupted US diplomatic operations across the region.Up to 3,500 diplomatic personnel were outside the region between February 23 and June 30, with several US diplomatic posts placed under authorised or ordered departure.The US also evacuated around 9,000 American citizens from countries across the Middle East and Europe after the conflict began. The State Department said its evacuation operations had cost more than $11 million by late June.The report comes as Washington weighs the longer-term impact of the conflict on its military posture in the Middle East, including whether some reductions in US personnel and facilities could become permanent.
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