US Department of Defense publishes first official report on damage and costs of the Iran war

For the first time, a US government control agency has published a detailed official assessment of the consequences of the Iran war. The report from the Defense Department's inspector general, presented on Monday, lists eleven US soldiers "killed in action" and reveals shortages of important weapons. According to the findings, the war also caused significant damage to US military bases and aircraft.

Hundreds of buildings and other facilities at US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan were damaged or destroyed by Iranian attacks. The US naval base in Bahrain was particularly hard hit. The US armed forces therefore had to move to more distant supply bases.

According to the report, several US aircraft and drones were also damaged or destroyed. These included up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones, each worth around $30 million. Seven KC-135 tanker aircraft were also damaged or destroyed.

Eleven soldiers “killed in action”

Another KC-135 crashed in Iraq after colliding with another KC-135. Six soldiers were killed. These deaths, as well as the death of a pilot whose helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea, are listed as deaths from non-hostile events. Eleven additional soldiers are listed as "killed in action" in Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

According to the report, the war also led to shortages of modern weapons and problems with their supply. Experts believe it could take about three years to bring stocks of modern missiles and interceptor systems back to pre-war levels. The US Department of Defense rejects reports of an ammunition shortage.

$37.5 billion in war costs

US President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Monday that the US would produce "more exquisite and world-class weapons than ever before in our history." "They are delivered daily to our forces in the Middle East and beyond," he wrote.