U.S. watchdog details damage to bases and diplomatic sites in Iran war

A U.S. government watchdog has published its first report on the impact of the war with Iran, outlining damage to American aircraft, military bases and diplomatic facilities across the Middle East. The Pentagon inspector general said the conflict, described in the report as Operation Epic Fury, had cost an estimated $33.4 billion US by late June. The report also said the fighting exposed shortfalls in advanced weapons stockpiles and bottlenecks in munitions production. According to the report, Iranian strikes damaged or destroyed buildings and other structures at U.S. bases in several countries, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. U.S. diplomatic buildings in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iraq also suffered physical damage, adding $184 million US in repair costs. The report said dozens of American aircraft and drones were damaged or destroyed, including as many as 30 MQ9 Reaper drones and several KC135 refuelling aircraft. It also described the costs of evacuating U.S. personnel and civilians from the region as tensions continued to rise.