Iranian missile and drone strikes damaged hundreds of US military structures and diplomatic facilities across eight countries in the Middle East during the conflict, according to the Pentagon’s inspector general, in the first formal assessment of American losses from the war.
A special report by the Defence Department’s watchdog, covering the period from February 28 to June 30, said Iranian attacks “damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures” at US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan.
The attacks forced US Central Command to relocate personnel, military assets and storage facilities as Iranian forces and allied proxy groups targeted American positions, the report said.
Among the operational changes was the withdrawal of Army medical evacuation helicopters from Iraq and Kuwait. Consequently, most medical evacuations were conducted by ground to local medical facilities, according to the watchdog.
Bahrain Attack Disrupts US Military Logistics
Damage to the US Navy’s regional hub in Bahrain created “significant challenges” in establishing adequate naval bases and support ports, the report said. Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao recently described the extent of the damage by saying Iran “blew the hell out of” the facility.
The disruption prompted the US military to use Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean as a sea logistics hub, extending military resupply cycles to between 14 and 18 days.
Intermittent shortages of supplies and disruptions to the military’s regional mail system further complicated operations for US personnel deployed to the Persian Gulf during the conflict.
The war began on February 28, when the US and Israel launched military operations against Iran. Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting US military positions and diplomatic facilities across the region.
US Diplomatic Damage Estimated at $184 Million
The report, prepared in coordination with inspector general offices at the State Department and the US Agency for International Development, estimated that Iranian attacks caused approximately $184 million in damage to US diplomatic facilities in the Middle East. It did not provide an overall estimate for damage to US military installations.
In early March, two Iranian drones struck the US Embassy compound in Riyadh, causing extensive damage, including to a CIA facility.
Another drone targeted the US consulate in Dubai, damaging a utility building. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the time that the drone struck a parking area adjacent to the chancellery building.
The US Embassy in Kuwait suspended operations in March after Iranian drone strikes and resumed emergency operations in late June.
More than 600 attacks against US facilities in Iraq were recorded, a senior State Department official said in May. The attacks resulted in an estimated $157 million in damage.
Up to 3,500 Diplomatic Personnel Displaced
As many as 3,500 US diplomatic personnel were outside the region between February 23 and June 30, according to the report, as most American diplomatic posts operated under authorised or ordered departure measures.
Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were placed under ordered departure status, requiring non-emergency personnel and family members to leave.
Most US diplomatic posts in the region continue to operate under “restricted operations”, although some diplomats and their families have begun returning.
The report comes as US military and intelligence officials assess whether reductions in American personnel and facilities across the Middle East could become permanent in the aftermath of the war.
