A US government watchdog has revealed the clearest official picture yet of the military and financial impact of the Iran war, warning that the conflict exposed shortages in advanced weapons and bottlenecks in replenishing key munitions.
The Pentagon inspector general’s report, covering April 1 to June 30, also detailed damage to US military bases, aircraft and diplomatic facilities across the Middle East. It brings together findings from watchdogs overseeing the Defence and State departments and the US Agency for International Development.
Advanced Weapons Under Strain
The report said the war had “resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply”, highlighting pressure on America’s stocks of advanced weapons.
Military
experts have previously estimated that it could take around three years for US defence contractors to restore supplies of advanced missiles and defensive interceptors to pre-war levels.
The warning comes as Washington faces the challenge of maintaining military readiness while continuing to supply weapons to allies and partners.
Bases, Aircraft Damaged Across Region
Iranian strikes damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and other structures at US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan, according to the report.
Dozens of US aircraft and drones were also damaged or destroyed.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress in July that the war had cost the US around $37.5 billion by then.
The report also provided a first public estimate of damage to US diplomatic facilities. American outposts in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE suffered an estimated $184 million in physical damage.
$113 Million State Department Bill
The US State Department reported overall conflict-related costs of $113 million by early June, including nearly $80 million spent on contingency measures.
The US also evacuated around 9,000 Americans from countries across the Middle East and Europe after the conflict began. The evacuation operation had cost more than $11 million by late June.
The department said it would not seek reimbursement from evacuees because documenting their travel costs would have been impractical.
Billions in Regional Arms Sales
Despite the strain on US weapons stocks, Washington also recorded more than $44 billion in emergency and non-emergency military sales during the period covered by the report.
Saudi Arabia accounted for the largest share, with sales including helicopters, munitions, munitions support and advanced precision weapons. Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Israel also received billions of dollars in military equipment.
(With inputs from AP)
