A report released by a U.S. government oversight agency has provided its initial assessment of the consequences of the Iran war, highlighting deficiencies in advanced military weaponry and giving the first public insights into the destruction of American aircraft, military bases, and diplomatic sites in the Middle East.
The Pentagon’s inspector general published a report on Monday that delivered the most comprehensive official account to date regarding the human toll, financial expenditures, and physical harm arising from Operation Epic Fury, which has been estimated to cost approximately $33.4 billion as of June 29. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth testified in Congress in late July, stating that the conflict has incurred costs of $37.5 billion thus far.
The report indicated that the U.S. engagement in the Iran conflict “has led to strategic inventory deficits and exposed industrial base constraints concerning munitions resupply” related to advanced weaponry. Experts have previously asserted that it will take roughly three years for military contractors to restore advanced missiles and missile defense interceptors to pre-conflict levels.
The Pentagon has consistently countered claims of a munitions shortage, asserting that the U.S. military possesses all necessary weaponry to engage in any conflict. U.S. President Donald Trump stated in a social media update on Monday that the U.S. is “producing more exquisite and elite weapons than at any time in our history.”
U.S. President Donald downplayed concerns about the military’s munitions supply due to the Iran conflict and warned that those who leaked this information to media outlets would be ‘hunted down’ and face ‘long term jail sentences.’
Numerous U.S. installations and diplomatic sites targeted
The oversight report, covering the period from April 1 to June 30, also recognized that Iranian attacks have caused damage and destruction to hundreds of facilities at U.S. bases located in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan.
It highlighted that the U.S. naval base in Bahrain, a logistical center for the Navy in the region, was hit by Iranian drones and missiles. U.S. Central Command had to redirect supply routes to alternative locations that were considerably farther away, such as Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.-U.K. base situated in the Indian Ocean.
U.S. Embassy staff assess the damage from a bombing in Baghdad on March 14. (Hadi Mizban/The Associated Press)
Hung Cao, the acting Secretary of the Navy, acknowledged in a recent interview with The Epoch Times that “they blew the hell out of Bahrain” and mentioned that a task force is examining whether repairs are necessary for the Bahrain base to maintain naval operations in the area.
The report from Monday also incorporated insights from the watchdogs for the Defense and State departments, along with 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 assaults, amounting to $184 million. Moreover, the war has led to delays in construction projects at various other U.S. outposts in countries including Israel, Egypt, and Oman.
The State Department indicated in early June that its other expenditures from the conflict totaled $113 million, with nearly $80 million allocated for contingency responses, including evacuation costs for U.S. personnel and their families, as well as other American citizens and eligible foreign 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 roughly 9,000 American citizens from various Middle Eastern and European nations. The costs associated with this evacuation effort exceeded $11 million as of late June, involving both private and commercial flights as well as land and sea travel.
The bulk of evacuations occurred from Israel, with Iraq and Jordan following closely. Although the U.S. evacuated only 1,200 citizens from the United Arab Emirates, those flights to Istanbul, Athens, and Washington incurred the highest costs, totaling over $4 million.
Deficiencies in weaponry and arms sales
The report stated that numerous American aircraft and drones were either destroyed or damaged by Iranian actions, including the loss of up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones, each valued at around $30 million. Seven KC-135 refueling aircraft sustained damage or destruction, five of which were hit by Iranian munitions while on the ground in Saudi Arabia.
One additional 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 incidents. Eleven other service members are recorded as “killed in action” across Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
The State Department reported that over $44 billion in both emergency and non-emergency military sales were conducted during that period, with the bulk of sales directed towards Saudi Arabia. These transactions included military helicopters, munitions, and advanced precision weapon systems.
Other nations in the region, such as Qatar, Kuwait, the U.A.E., and Israel, also received billions in arms sales as Iran retaliated against nearly every country in the region that hosted U.S. military installations.
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