How Iran is bleeding US across Middle East, with damage running into millions

File: Among the most expensive losses have been components of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, which uses powerful radar to track and intercept incoming threats.

• Iran attacked U.S. sites in the Middle East with drones and missiles
• 17 U.S. bases damaged, 7 Americans dead
• Strikes led to major financial losses and impacted diplomatic sites.

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Iran's retaliatory drone and missile strikes on American military and diplomatic sites across the Middle East over the last few days has damaged multiple installations and killed US personnel, according to data compiled by The New York Times.

The report said it identified at least 17 damaged US sites and installations across the region since the conflict began on February 28.

The assessment is based on high-resolution commercial satellite imagery, verified social media videos and statements from US officials and Iranian state media.

The scale and intensity of the attacks suggest Iran was more prepared for the war than many officials in the administration of Donald Trump had anticipated, US military officials told NYT.

Iran has fired thousands of missiles and drones targeting US and allied military sites in the region. American officials say most were intercepted, but at least 11 American military bases or installations have sustained damage — nearly half of all such sites in the Middle East.

According to the report, Iran targeted several major US military facilities on the first day of the conflict, February 28. These included Prince Sultan Air Base, Ali Al Salem Air Base, Camp Buehring and Al Udeid Air Base, the largest American base in the Middle East.

Satellite imagery reviewed by NYT showed damage to buildings and communications infrastructure at several of these locations.

A video taken on March 1 showed an Iranian drone exploding near sports facilities at Camp Buehring in Kuwait, although no casualties were reported.

However, some attacks caused fatalities. A drone strike on March 1 hit a structure housing military personnel at the Shuaiba port in Kuwait, killing six American service members, according to the report. Satellite imagery showed the roof of the building partially collapsed.

Another US service member was killed in a separate Iranian strike on March 1 at a US base in Saudi Arabia, bringing the death toll to seven, the Pentagon said.

The financial damage from the strikes is also significant. A Pentagon assessment submitted to Congress estimated that a single Iranian strike on the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain on February 28 caused about $200 million in damage, according to a congressional official cited by NYT.

Some bases have been targeted multiple times. Al Udeid Air Base, Ali Al Salem Air Base, Al Dhafra Air Base, Camp Buehring and the headquarters of the United States Navy Fifth Fleet have all been struck more than once.

Some missiles have also travelled far beyond the Gulf region. On March 4, NATO intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile heading toward Incirlik Air Base, which hosts a large US Air Force contingent, according to a senior U.S. military official cited by NYT. Iran’s military denied launching the missile.

A second missile entered Turkish airspace and was later shot down, according to a statement from Turkey’s defence ministry.

Iran has also targeted American air defence and communication infrastructure across the region. Among the most expensive losses have been components of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, which uses powerful radar to track and intercept incoming threats.

At Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, satellite imagery reviewed by the newspaper showed severe damage to what appeared to be an air defence sensor located near the southern edge of the base. Military documents indicate a single radar unit of this type can cost up to $500 million.

A separate video from February 28 showed an Iranian drone striking the headquarters of the United States Navy Fifth Fleet in Manama, Bahrain, damaging what appeared to be a communications radome — a protective structure covering radar and communications equipment.

Iran has also struck locations where US-supplied air defence systems were deployed by Gulf countries. Satellite imagery showed damage to storage structures at the Al Ruwais facility in the United Arab Emirates, where a THAAD unit had previously been observed.

Near Umm Dahal in Qatar, satellite imagery indicated possible damage to a long-range AN/FPS-132 radar, a system built at a cost of about $1.1 billion to provide early-warning coverage across a radius of roughly 3,000 miles, the NYT report said.

Iran has also targeted US diplomatic facilities. According to the report, strikes hit the US consulate in Dubai and embassies in Kuwait City and Riyadh, forcing temporary closures. No injuries were reported.

The United States Embassy Baghdad was also targeted in a rocket attack on Saturday night, though the perpetrators were not immediately clear and the extent of the damage was unknown.