A U.S. government oversight agency has published its inaugural report regarding the consequences of the Iran conflict, highlighting significant deficiencies in the military’s advanced weaponry and providing the first public insight into the destruction of American aircraft, military bases, and diplomatic missions across the Middle East.
The Pentagon inspector general’s report released on Monday offers the most comprehensive official assessment to date of the war’s toll on American lives, financial resources, and physical infrastructure stemming from Operation Epic Fury, which was projected to have incurred costs of $33.4 billion US as of June 29. In late July, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth testified before Congress that the total expenses of the conflict had reached $37.5 billion.
The report highlighted that the U.S. engagement in Iran “has led to strategic inventory deficiencies and exposed industrial bottlenecks in munitions resupply” concerning advanced weapon systems. Experts have previously indicated that it would take approximately three years for defense contractors to restore advanced missile and interceptor stockpiles to pre-conflict levels.
The Pentagon has consistently refuted claims of a munitions shortage, asserting that the U.S. armed forces possess sufficient weaponry to engage in any conflict. U.S. President Donald Trump stated in a social media update on Monday that the country is “manufacturing more sophisticated and elite weapons than ever before in our history.”
U.S. President Donald dismissed reports of America’s military running low on munitions due to the war with Iran, and said whoever leaked the information to U.S. media outlets will be ‘hunted down’ and given ‘long term jail sentences.’
U.S. military facilities and diplomatic sites under attack
The oversight report, which spans the period from April 1 to June 30, also recognized that Iranian assaults led to significant damage and destruction to numerous buildings and infrastructures at U.S. bases located in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan.
It noted that the U.S. naval facility in Bahrain, a logistical hub for the Navy in the region, was targeted by Iranian drones and ballistic missiles. U.S. Central Command had to redirect supply routes to alternative hubs located much farther away, including Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.-U.K. base situated on an island in the Indian Ocean.
Personnel from the U.S. Embassy assess the damage caused by a bombing in Baghdad on March 14. (Hadi Mizban/The Associated Press)
Hung Cao, the acting secretary of the U.S. Navy, acknowledged in a recent interview with The Epoch Times that “they blew the hell out of Bahrain,” and mentioned that he has a task force investigating whether the Navy will need to undertake repairs at the Bahrain base to maintain its forces in the region.
Monday’s report also incorporated insights from watchdogs associated with the Defense and State departments, as well as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
U.S. diplomatic facilities in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iraq experienced physical damage from Iranian strikes, amounting to $184 million US. Additionally, the conflict has led to delays in construction projects at several other U.S. outposts in various countries, including Israel, Egypt, and Oman.
The State Department indicated in early June that its additional costs related to the conflict totaled $113 million US, with nearly $80 million allocated for contingency plans, including evacuation costs for U.S. personnel and their families, as well as other American citizens and eligible third-country nationals.
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The State Department reported that in the weeks and months following the initial U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, the Trump administration facilitated the evacuation of approximately 9,000 U.S. citizens from various countries in the Middle East and Europe. Utilizing both private and commercial flights, along with land and maritime travel, the evacuation operation’s costs exceeded $11 million US by late June.
Most of the evacuations occurred from Israel, with Iraq and Jordan following closely behind. Although the U.S. managed to evacuate only 1,200 Americans from the United Arab Emirates, the expenses for those flights to Istanbul, Athens, and Washington amounted to over $4 million US.
Deficiencies in weapons and military sales
Numerous U.S. aircraft and drones were either damaged or destroyed by Iranian actions, including the loss of as many as 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones valued at around $30 million US each, according to the report. Additionally, seven KC-135 refueling aircraft were either damaged or destroyed, with five struck by Iranian munitions while stationed on the ground in Saudi Arabia.
Another KC-135 crashed in Iraq, resulting in the deaths of six service members after colliding with another KC-135. These fatalities, along with the death of a helicopter pilot who crashed into the Arabian Sea, are categorized as occurring during non-hostile events. Eleven other service members are recorded as “killed in action” across Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
The State Department disclosed that over $44 billion US in both emergency and non-emergency military sales took place during that timeframe, with the majority directed towards Saudi Arabia. These transactions included military helicopters, munitions, and support for munitions, along with advanced precision weapon systems.
Other regional nations, such as Qatar, Kuwait, the U.A.E., and Israel, also received billions in sales, as Iran retaliated against nearly every country in the region hosting a U.S. military installation.
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