Pentagon Report: Iranian Strikes Cost U.S. $33.4 Billion, Damage 184 Sites

A Pentagon inspector general report released in September 2026 documents the scale of damage from Iranian strikes against U.S. military and diplomatic facilities across the Middle East between February and June 2026. The report, which covers Operation Epic Fury, details $184 million in damage to U.S. diplomatic facilities in four countries, with U.S. diplomatic sites in Iraq alone suffering more than 600 attacks resulting in over $157 million in damage. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates also sustained damage to U.S. diplomatic facilities, with estimated costs of $14 million, $11.5 million, and $125,000 respectively.

Beyond diplomatic sites, Iranian strikes damaged and destroyed hundreds of military buildings and structures at U.S. bases across eight countries: Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan. The destruction included dozens of aircraft: up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones, 12 KC-135 refueling tankers, four F-15E fighters, one A-10 attack aircraft, four AH-6 helicopters, one AH-64 and one MH-60 helicopter, and one MQ-4C drone. According to Pentagon casualty data, 18 U.S. military personnel were killed and 824 wounded as of late August 2026.

The conflict imposed significant logistical challenges. Iranian strikes damaged the U.S. Naval Base in Bahrain, the Navy's main logistics hub for Middle Eastern operations, forcing a relocation of naval sustainment operations to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. This shift extended supply cycles to more than two weeks due to extended sea transit distances. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and other Navy warships faced supply shortages during their deployments.

Operation Epic Fury cost the United States an estimated $33.4 billion as of June 29, 2026, comprising $22.3 billion in expended munitions, $3.7 billion in equipment losses, and $7.4 billion in costs beyond U.S. Central Command's normal operating expenses. However, this estimate does not include reconstruction costs for damaged infrastructure, as the Department of Defense stated it had not yet determined its future military posture in the region or the extent of ally and partner contributions to reconstruction. Congress did not appropriate dedicated funds for the operation, forcing the Pentagon to divert money from normal operating budgets including training and maintenance accounts. U.S. Transportation Command flew more than 1,500 missions to support operations, costing nearly $2.4 billion as of June 30.

The report also noted ammunition shortages resulting from sustained operations. The Pentagon's top procurement office told inspectors that munitions consumption "had led to strategic inventory shortages." On June 24, the White House submitted a supplemental funding request of $67 billion for the war effort, with $21 billion allocated for ammunition replacement. Additionally, the operation deployed four aircraft carrier strike groups and a localized deployment of the 82nd Airborne Division, with support coordinated across multiple U.S. regional commands, particularly U.S. European Command and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.