ALWAGHT- Newly surfaced revelations have highlighted the full extent of the military and human losses the United States endured as a result of Iran's retaliatory strikes during the roughly 40-day conflict that started in late February.
During the Trump administration, officials consistently downplayed the impact of Iran’s missile strikes on US bases in the Persian Gulf. President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed the US had destroyed Iran’s military capabilities, with Hegseth asserting at a March 30 briefing that Iranian missiles would be shot down and largely fail to reach their targets.
Despite these assertions, an NBC News report revealed far more extensive damage than previously acknowledged. Iran struck over 100 targets across 11 US bases, and an Iranian F-5 fighter jet successfully bombed Camp Buehring in Kuwait—bypassing air defenses in what officials called the first enemy fixed-wing aircraft strike on a US base in years. Additionally, a significant number of Iranian missiles penetrated US and allied defense systems.
The NBC report, based on findings from the American Enterprise Institute and interviews with officials and congressional aides, contradicts earlier official assurances. It underscores that the damage to US military equipment and bases was substantial, even as the US had already acknowledged 13 American service members killed and several advanced aircraft shot down during the conflict.
Earlier reporting from The New York Times highlighted the war’s immense strain on US munitions stockpiles. The US fired roughly 1,100 JASSM-ER missiles ($1.1 million each), over 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles ($3.6 million each), and more than 1,200 Patriot interceptors ($4 million each), with total campaign costs estimated at up to $35 billion.
