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The Pentagon has quietly admitted that Iran has struck hundreds of buildings and structures at U.S. bases across the Middle East in the six months since the U.S. and Israel launched war against the country — damage that is far more extensive than previously acknowledged by Trump administration officials.

According to the Department of Defense Inspector General’s first report on the Iran war released on Tuesday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) “reported that Iranian strikes damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan during the conflict.” CENTCOM provided this information in response to a query by the inspector general’s office.

The military command also reported that “dozens of U.S. aircraft were destroyed or damaged” during the conflict. The report covers the period of the war up until June 30, meaning that more damage may have been done since President Donald Trump unilaterally restarted the war and ended the ceasefire agreement in July.

In July, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth estimated that the war had cost $37.5 billion thus far — far lower than leaked internal estimates reportedly suggested.

Indeed, the Pentagon watchdog’s report acknowledges that Hegseth’s figure does not encompass costs incurred by the extensive damage done to U.S. bases. Previous reports have said that the losses to U.S. buildings and assets amount to tens of billions of dollars — potentially multiplying the........

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