The US military acknowledges 23 deaths linked to Iran war operations and 865 wounded, while Iranian attacks caused up to $15 billion in damage at installations hosting American forces across the Middle East.
Iranian forces initially targeted early-warning radars and air-defence systems, then shifted their attacks towards aircraft hangars, warehouses, fuel facilities, communications infrastructure and accommodation for military personnel.
At Port Shuaiba, a drone strike killed six American soldiers on 1 March.
Within the first two days of the conflict, strikes destroyed protective enclosures housing US radar systems at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait and Naval Support Activity Bahrain. A US Army radar system in Jordan was destroyed and was reportedly valued at around $500 million. A radar system in Qatar, valued at approximately $1.1 billion, sustained significant damage.
The attacks later reached a wider range of equipment and facilities. Ali Salem Air Base was struck at least 30 times, with at least 15 aircraft hangars, several warehouses and 10 buildings near a residential area damaged or destroyed. More than 30 structures were damaged or destroyed at Camp Buehring between March and August.
At Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, attacks hit two aerial refuelling tankers and damaged the rear section of a Boeing E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft. An Iranian strike also hit a CIA facility at the US Embassy in Riyadh. At least 15 American aircraft at military bases across the region were damaged.
The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain was among the hardest-hit sites. At least 119 buildings at 13 installations were damaged during the opening two weeks alone.
Through August, more than 115 Iranian or Iran-backed drone and missile strikes damaged or destroyed structures at 26 US military bases and other sites across the region. A Wall Street Journal analysis identified 274 damaged structures across 24 installations with an American military presence.
An unnamed US official told the Wall Street Journal that the Pentagon put damage to bases from the strikes at a minimum of $5 billion. The higher estimate of up to $15 billion covers military installations hosting American forces across the Middle East.
The Pentagon’s latest estimate to Congress put the cost of the Iran war at $47.1 billion through 16 October, without including damage to bases. It included roughly $29 billion to replace expended munitions, $11.9 billion in operational expenses and $6.1 billion in equipment losses.
Washington is reportedly considering pulling back from its installations in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
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