Iran destroyed 17 US bases in Middle East

An emerging narrative online says Iranian retaliation has severely damaged American military infrastructure across the region – but the picture is more complex

By Abdullahi Yusuf

On the very first day of the war, the US eliminated Iran’s top leadership. Since then, it has been continuously targeting ships, aircraft, missile launchers and oil depots. It even fired a missile at a primary school for girls. Hundreds of people were killed.

However, the US has also suffered major damage in Iran’s counter-attacks.

In 12 days of war, 17 US installations have been damaged. At least 8 soldiers have been killed and about 140 injured. The attacks are continuing. Several US embassies in Arab countries have had to be closed, and thousands of crores of rupees in additional military spending are being incurred every day.

So how much damage has Iran inflicted on the US so far? Let us understand in today’s Explainer…

How many US military bases have been damaged?

The US has more than 22 military bases or airbases in the Middle East. Iran has carried out thousands of aerial attacks using missiles and drones on the military installations of the US and its allied Gulf countries.

According to a report by the US newspaper The New York Times, most of these attacks were thwarted with the help of air defence systems, but at least 11 US military bases have suffered damage…

• After the beginning of US-Israeli attacks on 28 February, Iran targeted Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base, Kuwait’s Ali Al Salem Air Base and Camp Buehring base, the headquarters of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain, and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in retaliatory strikes. Al Udeid is the largest US airbase in the Middle East. Several other military installations were also attacked in the following days.
• Al Udeid, Ali Al Salem, Al Dhafra, Camp Buehring and the Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain were repeatedly targeted.
• Iran also fired two missiles towards Türkiye, a close US ally and NATO member. NATO’s air defence intercepted an incoming Iranian ballistic missile heading towards Türkiye’s Incirlik Air Base. A unit of the US Air Force is stationed there. However, Iran’s military has denied launching a missile attack on Türkiye.

Satellite images show that several of these bases suffered significant damage to buildings and communication infrastructure in the attacks…

How many US diplomatic installations have been damaged?

Iran has so far carried out missile and drone attacks on US embassies in six countries, including Israel. Among them, two US embassies in Kuwait and Iraq have suffered minor damage. However, all six embassies have been closed…

• On 2 March 2026, Iran directly attacked the US embassy in Kuwait. The building suffered minor damage. On the same day, Iranian missile strikes took place in Jerusalem, Israel. After this, the consular offices in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv were closed.
• On the night of 3 March, two drones attacked the US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After drone attacks on the US embassy in Beirut, Lebanon on 3 and 4 March, the embassy was closed.
• On 5 March, Iranian drone attacks occurred at Nakhchivan Airport in Azerbaijan. Two civilians were injured in the incident. After this, Iran also recalled its diplomats from Azerbaijan.
• On 7 and 8 March, and again on 10 March, Iran fired missiles at the US embassy in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. The US air defence system stopped the attack, but one missile fell on the embassy helipad.

How many US soldiers have been killed or injured?

According to the US newspaper The Washington Post, so far 8 US soldiers have been killed in the war between the US and Iran. Meanwhile, 140 US soldiers have been injured.

• On 1 March 2026, Iran targeted a US command centre at Shuaiba Port in Kuwait. According to local time, the attack occurred at about 9 am without any warning or siren. A drone bypassed the air defence system and crashed into the centre of the building. Six US soldiers were killed in the attack.
• On the same day, Iran’s military attacked Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. US Army Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington was seriously injured in an Iranian missile strike. He died during treatment on 7 March.
• On 6 March, Major Sorffly Davius, a soldier of the US National Guard stationed at Camp Buehring in Kuwait, was killed. The cause of Davius’s death is not yet clear.

8 US soldiers killed in Iranian attacks

Cody Khork – Cody Khork Noah Tietjens – Noah Tietjens Nicole Amor – Nicole Amor Declan Cody – Declan Cody Benjamin Pennington – Benjamin Pennington Robert M. Marjan – Robert M. Marjan Effrey R. O’Brien – Effrey R. O’Brien Sorffly Davius – Sorffly Davius

How many US fighter jets have been destroyed?

Officially, after the war with Iran began, three US fighter jets and 11 MQ-9 Reaper drones have been destroyed…

• On the night of 1 March, three US fighter jets crashed in the Al Jahra area, about 10 km from Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. All three were F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets deployed for the US operation “Epic Fury”, which aimed to kill Khamenei. The cost of one such jet is about ₹789 crore. Iran claimed that the jets were destroyed in its missile attack, but they were actually mistakenly shot down by a Kuwaiti F-18 Hornet.
• In fact, these jets do not have missile warning sensors (MWS) for infrared-guided missiles. At that time, Kuwait’s F-18 Hornet fighter jets were deployed for air combat against Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones.
• They fired Sidewinder missiles at the three F-15Es. All six pilots had to eject by parachute to save their lives. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had termed Iran’s claims false.
• Apart from this, according to Iraqi sources, on 5 March a US fighter jet crashed near the airport in the Basra region of Iraq. Local police also confirmed it, although US Central Command (CENTCOM) described it as a rumour. In an X post, they first used the word “Crash”, later writing “Shot Down”.
• In addition, a total of 11 MQ-9 Reaper drones of the US have been destroyed so far. Several of these drones were shot down by Iran, while the reasons for the destruction of others are not clear. The price of this advanced unmanned attack drone is about ₹250 crore.
• 

How much of the US arsenal has been depleted?

The US has used expensive missiles such as Tomahawk against Iran. However, it has a very large stockpile of defensive, ballistic and strategic missiles. According to a CNN report, the US has about eight of the most advanced air defence systems. These are called THAAD — Terminal High Altitude Area Defence systems. They are deployed in the US, South Korea, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Guam Island, and temporarily in some Middle Eastern countries.

• Iran targeted THAAD systems deployed in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan. According to reports, in these attacks the radar system of a THAAD deployed at Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base was destroyed. A THAAD system costs up to ₹22,000 crore, while the radar system alone costs up to ₹2,700 crore.

• According to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the US fired more than 400 Tomahawk missiles in the first 72 hours of attacks on Iran. One Tomahawk missile costs about ₹11 crore. Reports suggest the US has about 4,000 such missiles. The US produces about 57 Tomahawk missiles every year.

• In addition, GBU-31 bombs weighing 2,000 pounds were also used. These bombs can be launched only from US B-2 bomber aircraft to destroy bunkers built deep underground.
• Precision strike missiles were also fired from US HIMARS launchers. The US has also used MQ-9 Reaper drones worth about ₹250 crore. The US still has about 200 MQ-9 Reaper drones remaining.
• The US has also used LUCAS drones costing about ₹29 lakh. Their price is similar to Iran’s cheaper Shahed drones. The US may still have thousands of such drones.
• Trump has said that the US has sufficient stock of weapons and can continue fighting the war for as long as it wants.
• In August 2025, Ukraine had offered the US its anti-drone technology to counter Iran’s cheap Shahed drones. At that time, Trump rejected the offer. Now, after suffering damage from Shahed drones, the US has asked Ukraine for its technology.

How much money has the US spent in 12 days of war?

The US has not yet released any official figure regarding the expenditure incurred due to the war with Iran. However, according to the US news outlet Politico, leaders of the US Republican Party say the US is spending about $2 billion every day — roughly ₹17,000 crore…

• According to The New York Times, Pentagon officials told the US Congress that about ₹51,000 crore had been spent in the first week of the war.
• According to experts, the US is using several extremely expensive equipment and weapons. The missiles used by the US to shoot down Iranian missiles cost millions of dollars. By the time the war ends, the US may spend about $65 billion.
• However, according to British defence adviser John Phillips, the daily expenditure is currently about $1 billion. If the war continues, it could reach $2 billion in a few days.
• This expenditure is mainly on ammunition and the operations of aircraft and naval warships. It does not include the economic cost of damage suffered by the US in Iranian attacks. Experts say the cost of the war itself is not the main concern for the US; the greater concern is the depletion of ammunition stockpiles.

Source: Bhaskar English

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