Watchdog Finds Iran War Damage to US Bases Far More Extensive Than Pentagon Says

Did you know that Truthout is a nonprofit and independently funded by readers like you? If you value what we do, please support our work with a donation . The Pentagon has quietly admitted that Iran has struck hundreds of buildings and structures at U.S. bases across the Middle East in the six months since the U.S. and Israel launched war against the country — damage that is far more extensive than previously acknowledged by Trump administration officials. According to the Department of Defense Inspector General’s first report on the Iran war released on Tuesday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) “reported that Iranian strikes damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan during the conflict.” CENTCOM provided this information in response to a query by the inspector general’s office. The military command also reported that “dozens of U.S. aircraft were destroyed or damaged” during the conflict. The report covers the period of the war up until June 30, meaning that more damage may have been done since President Donald Trump unilaterally restarted the war and ended the ceasefire agreement in July. In July, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth estimated that the war had cost $37.5 billion thus far — far lower than leaked internal estimates reportedly suggested. Indeed, the Pentagon watchdog’s report acknowledges that Hegseth’s figure does not encompass costs incurred by the extensive damage done to U.S. bases. Previous reports have said that the losses to U.S. buildings and assets amount to tens of billions of dollars — potentially multiplying the cost of the war if incorporated. Related Story News | Human Rights Report: Trump Transferring $3B Worth of Bombs to Israel, Funded by US Taxpayers The administration has also notified Congress of a $5 billion sale of bombs to Saudi Arabia. By Sharon Zhang , T ruthout September 15, 2026 Truthout Meanwhile, as of June, the State Department reports that U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have been struck by Iran, incurring $184 million in damages. Further, the department reports that the war has incurred $113 million largely in relation to evacuation-related expenses. The inspector general also reported that the U.S. approved $25.3 billion worth of weapons exports to Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in relation to emergency declarations made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio since the beginning of the year. This includes $7.8 billion worth of weapons sales to Israel between January and June of this year. Despite Israel having largely withdrawn from its active role in the war, reports on Tuesday found that the Trump administration has approved an additional $2.8 billion transfer of deadly 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. That transfer is being paid for by U.S. taxpayers. The reports of the extensive damage to U.S. bases come despite the Trump administration repeatedly claiming dominance in the war — with Trump administration officials having said that the war has already been won dozens of times. On March 3, the fourth day of the war, President Donald Trump claimed that the U.S. and Israel had completely destroyed Iran’s air and naval capabilities in its initial round of strikes. “They have no navy — it’s been knocked out. They have no air force; it’s been knocked out. They have no air detection — that’s been knocked out,” Trump said. Later that week , he also said that the U.S. has destroyed “every plane” in Iran’s air force and depleted “most of their missiles.” These losses come on top of the casualties among the U.S. military of the war thus far. According to the report, 18 U.S. soldiers have been killed, while 417 have been injured. The Pentagon has faced accusations of covering up these casualties amid uneven and strange reporting practices by the military. The Trump administration has also outright downplayed the deaths; earlier this month, Trump said that the U.S. casualties are “small potatoes” in comparison to past wars. 25 Years of Truthout: An important fundraising appeal This September, Truthout is celebrating 25 years of publication. For over two decades, we have been a trusted source for fiercely independent journalism thanks to readers like you. As we look to the next 25 years, we have launched a special fundraising campaign. 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Prohibited: You cannot use this work for commercial purposes. Article HTML Republish HTML code for copying <h1>Watchdog Finds Iran War Damage to US Bases Far More Extensive Than Pentagon Says</h1> By Sharon Zhang This article was originally published by <a href src="https://truthout.org/articles/watchdog-finds-iran-war-damage-to-us-bases-far-more-extensive-than-pentagon-says/">Truthout</a> Iran has damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings at US bases, CENTCOM has quietly admitted. The Pentagon has quietly admitted that Iran has struck hundreds of buildings and structures at U.S. bases across the Middle East in the six months since the U.S. and Israel launched war against the country — damage that is far more extensive than previously acknowledged by Trump administration officials. According to the Department of Defense Inspector General’s first <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2026/Sep/09/2003993626/-1/-1/1/OEF_Q3_JUN2026_FINAL_508%20SECURE.PDF">report</a> on the Iran war released on Tuesday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) “reported that Iranian strikes damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan during the conflict.” CENTCOM provided this information in response to a query by the inspector general’s office. The military command also reported that “dozens of U.S. aircraft were destroyed or damaged” during the conflict. The report covers the period of the war up until June 30, meaning that more damage may have been done since President Donald Trump <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/trump-says-iran-deal-is-over-signals-more-us-strikes-are-likely-coming/">unilaterally restarted</a> the war and ended the ceasefire agreement in July. In July, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/us/politics/iran-war-cost-estimate.html">Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth</a> estimated that the war had cost $37.5 billion thus far — far lower <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/internal-estimates-put-iran-war-cost-near-100b-reports-say/">than leaked internal estimates</a> reportedly suggested. Indeed, the Pentagon watchdog’s report acknowledges that Hegseth’s figure does not encompass costs incurred by the extensive damage done to U.S. bases. Previous reports <a href="https://popular.info/p/cost-of-iran-war-120-days">have said</a> that the losses to U.S. buildings and assets amount to tens of billions of dollars — potentially multiplying the cost of the war if incorporated. Meanwhile, as of June, the State Department reports that U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have been struck by Iran, incurring $184 million in damages. Further, the department reports that the war has incurred $113 million largely in relation to evacuation-related expenses. The inspector general also reported that the U.S. approved $25.3 billion worth of weapons exports to Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in relation to emergency declarations made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio since the beginning of the year. This includes $7.8 billion worth of weapons sales to Israel between January and June of this year. Despite Israel having largely withdrawn from its active role in the war, reports on Tuesday found that the Trump administration <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/report-trump-transferring-3b-worth-of-bombs-to-israel-funded-by-us-taxpayers/">has approved an additional</a> $2.8 billion transfer of deadly 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. That transfer is being paid for by U.S. taxpayers. The reports of the extensive damage to U.S. bases come despite the Trump administration repeatedly claiming dominance in the war — with Trump administration <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/32-times-trump-suggested-iran-war-was-almost-over-rcna385846">officials having said</a> that the war has already been won dozens of times. On March 3, the fourth day of the war, President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/3/trump-says-iran-navy-air-force-destroyed-germany-helping-out">claimed</a> that the U.S. and Israel had completely destroyed Iran’s air and naval capabilities in its initial round of strikes. “They have no navy — it’s been knocked out. They have no air force; it’s been knocked out. They have no air detection — that’s been knocked out,” Trump said. Later <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-says-us-israel-shattered-iranian-military-capabilities-presses-leaders-surrender-cry-uncle">that week</a>, he also said that the U.S. has destroyed “every plane” in Iran’s air force and depleted “most of their missiles.” These losses come on top of the casualties among the U.S. military of the war thus far. According to the report, 18 U.S. soldiers have been killed, while 417 have been injured. The Pentagon has faced <a href="https://theintercept.com/2026/04/01/iran-war-us-casualty-numbers-trump-hegseth/">accusations of covering up</a> these casualties amid uneven and strange reporting practices by the military. The Trump administration has also outright downplayed the deaths; earlier this month, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLqPfXV-YY4">Trump said that the U.S. casualties</a> are “small potatoes” in comparison to past wars. <hr> This <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/watchdog-finds-iran-war-damage-to-us-bases-far-more-extensive-than-pentagon-says/">article</a> was originally published by <a href="https://truthout.org">Truthout</a> and is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)</a>. Please maintain all links and credits in accordance with our <a href="https://truthout.org/republishing-policy">republishing guidelines</a>. Copy this HTML code to republish the article on your website Close Copy HTML This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) , and you are free to share and republish under the terms of the license. Sharon Zhang Sharon Zhang is a news writer at Truthout covering international affairs, politics, and labor. She has a master’s degree in environmental studies. She can be found on Twitter and Bluesky . Truthout

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