Pentagon Inspector General Details U.S. Losses and Challenges in Iran War

Some of the most detailed information about the Iran war has come not from the office of the defense secretary or the White House, but from a report released by the Defense Department’s inspector general. The independent oversight agency offered glimpses into the U.S. military’s inventory shortfalls, and the damage from Iranian counterattacks to consulates and other diplomatic facilities in the region. The document, which was issued on Monday, covered only the first four months of the war, from Feb. 28 to June 30. On Tuesday, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said in a separate report that war had cost the United States roughly $38 billion through Aug. 1. Here are some key takeaways from the inspector general’s report. A secret mission statement The Pentagon and White House have said that their goal in Iran is to destroy its nuclear programs, attack drones , ballistic and cruise missiles , and its means of producing those weapons. But the inspector general’s report noted that the Pentagon’s full mission statement for the Iran war “is classified.” That suggests that the military may have other goals that have not been made public. Costs Image A photo released by the U.S. Navy of two F/A-18 Super Hornets launching from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury in March. Credit... U.S. Navy, via Reuters We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in . Want all of The Times? Subscribe .