Iran strikes caused $184M damage to US diplomatic facilities in Gulf, Pentagon watchdog finds

TEHRAN, IRAN: Iranian military strikes caused an estimated $184 million in damage to US diplomatic facilities across four Gulf countries, according to a new Pentagon watchdog report made public Monday, September 14.

The 44-page report is the first from the watchdog since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February.

The damaged US diplomatic posts are in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Iraq suffered by far the biggest losses, with more than $157 million in estimated damage.

Iraq diplomatic facilities suffered the biggest losses

The report puts the damage in Kuwait at more than $14 million, while US diplomatic facilities in Saudi Arabia suffered an estimated $11.5 million in damage.

The US diplomatic post in the UAE suffered about $125,000 in damages.

The US mission in Iraq experienced more than 600 Iranian attacks during the conflict.

Iran has also targeted US military bases across the Gulf since Operation Epic Fury began on February 28.

The watchdog report said the attacks caused damage to US military bases, aircraft and other assets in the US Central Command theater.

The cost of the war itself has also continued to rise.

From February 28 through June 29, the Pentagon estimated the conflict had cost $33.4 billion, although that figure did not include infrastructure repair costs.

In July, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Senate lawmakers that the estimated cost had reached $37.5 billion. Some experts argued that figure was still too low.

The State Department separately reported that it had already incurred $113 million in war-related costs as of June 2, adding that the amount was likely to rise as damage assessments continued.

Pentagon report details damage to US military aircraft

The new report also provides a picture of the damage sustained by US military assets during the conflict.

More than 50 US aircraft have been damaged or destroyed since the war began, according to the watchdog.

The losses include four F-15Es, seven KC-135 refueling aircraft, four AH-6 helicopters, and at least 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones.

The findings come after President Donald Trump denied reports that several US military jets were damaged during an Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

“None whatsoever. No damage. No nothing,” Trump said last week when asked about reports that one A-10 Thunderbolt had lost a wing and eight F-15s had sustained light damage.

Hung Cao gives direct assessment of Bahrain damage

Some US officials have offered a different assessment of the damage caused by Iranian attacks.

Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao said last week that Iranian forces “blew the hell out of Bahrain” when discussing damage to Naval Support Activity Bahrain.

The base serves as the headquarters for US Naval Forces Central Command and the US Fifth Fleet and is used by the Navy as its main logistics hub in the Middle East. 

Cao said the Navy was considering what to do with the facility, including whether it should be repaired. 

“I have a task force that's looking at that,” he said.

The watchdog report also comes as 18 US service members have been killed and around 800 wounded during the more than six-month conflict.

About 50,000 American troops remain deployed to the region, while the Trump administration has yet to provide a clear exit strategy for the conflict.