Iranian strikes on military bases used by the US in the Middle East caused about $800m (£600m) in damage in the first two weeks of the war, a new analysis shows.
Much of the damage was caused in initial retaliatory strikes by Iran in the week after the US and Israel launched the war, according to a report by the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) and an analysis by the BBC.
The full extent of the damage caused by Iranian strikes on US assets in the region is not clear.
But the $800m in estimated damages to US military infrastructure – a figure that’s higher than has been previously reported – offers a picture of the steep costs to the US as the conflict drags on.
“The damage to US bases in the region has been underreported,” said Mark Cancian, a CSIS senior adviser and co-author of the think tank study. “Although that appears to be extensive, the full amount won’t be known until more information is available.”
In response to a request for comment, the US Department of Defense referred the BBC to US Central Command, which is leading the war. Officials there declined to comment.
Iran’s retaliatory strikes targeted US air-defence and satellite-communication systems, among other assets, in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries across the Middle East.
A significant portion of damage was caused by a strike on a US radar for a Thaad missile defence system at an air base in Jordan.
The AN/TPY-2 radar system costs approximately $485m according to a CSIS review of defence department budget documents. The air-defence systems are used for the long-range interception of ballistic missiles.
Strikes by Iran caused an additional $310m in estimated damages to buildings, facilities and other infrastructure on US bases and military bases used by American forces in the region.
Iran also has struck at least three air bases more than once, according to an analysis of satellite imagery by BBC Verify. The repeat strikes underscore Iran’s efforts to target specific US assets. Russia has reportedly shared intelligence with Tehran on American military forces in the region.
Satellite imagery shows the three air bases – Ali Al-Salim base in Kuwait, Al-Udeid in Qatar and Prince Sultan in Saudi Arabia – with fresh damage appearing during different phases of the conflict.
The US has also lost 13 military service members since President Donald Trump joined Israel in launching the attacks on Iran on 28 February.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) estimates the overall death toll has reached nearly 3,200, including 1,400 civilians.
Trump has said the US is on track to achieve his goals of destroying Iran’s nuclear program, degrading its conventional military power, and ending the regime’s support for proxy groups in the region.
“We’re doing extremely well in Iran,” Trump said at a White House event on Friday.
But the war has rattled the global economy with the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and uncertainty over the duration of the conflict and whether Trump will deploy ground troops.
Analysis of satellite imagery has been hampered by restrictions imposed by major US-based providers on the release of the imagery.
But it is possible to discern certain patterns in Iran’s retaliatory action against US military interests in the region.
Radar and satellite systems have been a focus from the start, when Iranian strikes hit a US naval base in Bahrain. They function as the eyes and ears of modern military operations.
Satellite imagery most notably showed the destruction of two radomes – protective enclosures for such sensitive equipment. It is highly probable the systems themselves were damaged, although it is not possible to gauge the extent.
Radar sites were hit at Camp Arifjan, a US military facility in Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base, where US aircraft are located. Imagery of the latter shows smoke rising from a radar component for a Thaad air-defence system.
More extensive damage to Thaad systems is evident at US bases in the UAE and Jordan. It’s unclear what the cost of that damage was. The degradation of these systems reportedly led the US to redeploy Thaad components from South Korea to the Middle East.
The damage from Iran’s retaliatory strikes account for a fraction of the overall costs to the US for the war.
Defense Department officials reportedly briefed members of Congress that the first six days of the war cost $11.3bn. The first 12 days cost 16.5bn, according to CSIS.
The Pentagon is asking for another $200bn in funding for the war. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that the figure “could move.”
“It takes money to kill bad guys,” Hegseth said.
