War on Iran damaged hundreds of US facilities, depleted key munitions: Pentagon

The special report, covering the period from February 28 through June 30, said Iranian strikes damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan, citing communications with US Central Command (CENTCOM).

It also acknowledged the depletion of key US munition stockpiles during the war, while noting that earlier attacks had destroyed critical military assets, including missile-defense radar installations.

The report said the Iranian strikes forced CENTCOM to alter the way US forces operate across the region, as the command “shifted personnel, assets and storage facilities” in response to attacks by Iran and allied forces.

Among the changes was the withdrawal of US Army medical evacuation helicopters from Iraq and Kuwait. As a result, “most medical evacuations have been carried out by ground … to local treatment facilities,” according to the report.

The destruction of the US Navy’s regional hub in Bahrain also created “significant challenges” in establishing adequate naval bases and support ports, the inspector general said. The situation prompted the US military to turn the remote Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia into a sea logistics hub, extending resupply cycles to between 14 and 18 days.

The resulting intermittent shortages of supplies, along with disruptions to the US military’s regional mail system, further complicated the deployment of American forces to the Persian Gulf in support of air raids on Iran and, more recently, efforts to blockade Iranian ports.

The report warned that some of the changes to the US military presence in West Asia could become permanent, as American military and intelligence officials have discussed the possibility of long-term reductions in personnel and facilities across the region after the war.

The assessment, prepared jointly with the inspector general offices of the US State Department and the US Agency for International Development, also examined damage to US diplomatic facilities.

According to the report, Iranian retaliatory attacks caused approximately $184 million in damage to US diplomatic facilities in West Asia. It did not provide an estimate of 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 located there. Around the same time, a drone targeted the US consulate in Dubai, damaging a utility building.

The US Embassy in Kuwait suspended operations completely in March after being struck and damaged by Iranian drones. It resumed emergency operations for US citizens in late June.

More than 600 attacks were reported against US facilities in Iraq, according to a senior State Department official cited in the report. The attacks caused approximately $157 million in damage, making Iraq the most costly site in terms of diplomatic losses.

The report said that between February 23 and June 30, as many as 3,500 US diplomatic personnel were outside the region, while most US diplomatic posts were operating under authorized or ordered departure measures.

Within weeks of the war’s outbreak, the State Department ordered the departure of non-emergency personnel and all family members from Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE as attacks on US diplomatic facilities intensified.

Most US diplomatic posts in the region remain under “restricted operations,” meaning staffing has not returned to normal.

The United States and Israel launched their illegal war of aggression against Iran on February 28.

Forty days later, on April 8, they were forced to accept a ceasefire amid Iran’s resistance, successful retaliatory operations, and a powerful grip on the Strait of Hormuz.

In July, the United States conducted waves of deadly air raids on Iran and imposed a naval blockade of the country in violation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Islamic Republic, signed on June 17, to end the war.

In response, the Iranian Armed Forces launched devastating strikes against strategic American targets across West Asia and declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all traffic.