Pentagon watchdog details scale of US losses in Iranian attacks
A Department of Defense inspector-general report records aircraft losses, casualties, damaged facilities and ammunition shortfalls during the conflict.
Iranian attacks damaged or destroyed dozens of US aircraft and hundreds of buildings and structures across the region during the conflict from 28 February to 30 June 2026, according to a report by the US Department of Defense inspector general.
The assessment says at least 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones were among the aircraft affected, alongside front-line fighters, refuelling tankers, command-and-control aircraft, rescue helicopters and other assets. It does not provide a detailed breakdown of equipment that was damaged compared with equipment destroyed.
The report records 11 US personnel killed in action and 417 wounded in Iranian attacks during the reporting period. It also cites damage to US military installations in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan.
US diplomatic facilities in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE sustained an estimated US$184 million in damage. The report says the US mission in Iraq faced more than 600 attacks by the end of June, with costs of up to nearly US$157 million.
Beyond the physical losses, the inspector general identified shortages in ammunition stocks and bottlenecks affecting supply chains and resupply. It also cited difficulties involving naval bases, support ports and host-nation access, with logistics shifts to Diego Garcia requiring extended sea-transit cycles.
The findings provide an official account of the pressure placed on US forces and infrastructure during the conflict, while leaving the full scale and distribution of damage to buildings and structures unspecified.
