Dozens of aircraft, hundreds of buildings: US loss to Iran attacks revealed

A Pentagon watchdog has revealed that the United States lost dozens of aircraft, including at least 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones, and that hundreds of buildings and structures used by the US were damaged or destroyed by Iranian attacks during the conflict.

The report published on Monday by the Department of Defense inspector general offers the first official account of the losses Washington has incurred in the war from February 28 to June 30.

Moreover, the report acknowledges that the US is running short on its munition stockpile and facing “bottlenecks” in supply chains, contradicting President Donald Trump’s repeated pushback. On Monday, Trump said the US is producing “more Exquisite and Elite Weapons than at any time in our History”. Previously, he asserted that the US has “virtually unlimited” ammunition after reports of shortages by the US media.

An estimated $22bn was spent on expended munitions between February 28 and June 30 during Operation Epic Fury (the name of the US military operation), the report said, adding that the war has cost $33bn during the same period.

Throughout the war – beginning with the US-Israel attacks on Iran in late February – Tehran has routinely bombed US bases and assets in the Gulf region. For most of those attacks, Gulf countries and Washington said the incoming strikes had been intercepted and thwarted.

But the Pentagon’s report paints a picture of significant damage and losses running into millions of dollars to US forces and facilities in the region, far more than previously acknowledged.

Currently, the US and Iran are locked in a diplomatic deadlock, with the Strait of Hormuz, a global oil chokepoint, remaining almost entirely blocked.

The Pentagon’s report says the Defense Department has reported that at least 11 US military personnel were “killed in action”, while seven died in “non-hostile events” during the war.