The Pentagon’s inspector general on Monday released its first report on the war with Iran, saying the conflict has strained US ammunition supplies and created bottlenecks in supply chains as the administration of President Donald Trump works to replenish weapons stocks and supplies.
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The report said the Pentagon is working to streamline procurement procedures and production timelines, stockpile critical materials, components and selected munitions, and prepare for a rapid response to potential emergencies, according to US broadcaster NBC News.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, meanwhile, denied reports that American ammunition supplies were running out.
President Donald Trump also wrote on Truth Social on Monday that the United States is “producing more superior and outstanding weapons than ever before in our history,” with weapons being delivered daily to US forces in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Two weeks earlier, Trump said the United States had “almost unlimited” quantities of ammunition, dismissing reports of shortages.
The congressionally mandated report covers the period from the start of the war on February 28 through June 30. It is among the first publicly released official government assessments detailing the cost, scope and scale of the US- and Israel-led conflict for the US military, State Department and other agencies.
Key Ammunition Shortages
The report comes amid accounts of declining morale among US forces deployed in the Middle East, shrinking stocks of key munitions and extensive damage to US military and intelligence assets in the region.
Among its findings, the report provides one of the first official confirmations that Iran targeted the US Navy’s main logistics hub in the region, located in Bahrain, using drones and ballistic missiles.
The report did not address what is believed to have been a US strike on an elementary school in Iran during the early hours of the bombing campaign. The military has yet to disclose an internal investigation into the strike. NBC News reported in June that the investigation was nearing its final stages.
The inspector general’s report details damage to military equipment, aircraft and other supplies during the first four months of the war, including the destruction of at least 30 large US drones.
The war with Iran has cost approximately $33.4 billion, according to the report. The figure does not include repairs to damaged facilities but covers $22.3 billion in expended munitions, $3.7 billion in equipment losses and $7.4 billion in other expenses.
NBC News reported in July that the war had so far incurred costs ranging between $80 billion and $100 billion, citing six US officials and people familiar with internal estimates.
The Pentagon publicly put the cost at $37.5 billion in July, but its estimate did not include the cost of replacing aircraft, repairing US bases or rebuilding critical weapons stocks.
Trump initially said the war would last only weeks, but over the weekend he suggested it might not end until “after” the November midterm elections, or possibly just before them.
US Personnel Displaced
The report also found that the war displaced more than 20,000 US military personnel and diplomats, who were relocated at the beginning of the conflict and during the following weeks.
Most medical assessments of injured US service members were conducted in the field, with some carried out by local ambulances. Patients were taken to local medical facilities after air evacuation capabilities were relocated because of security concerns.
US forces also conducted as many as 5,000 flights from European bases to support the war, despite Trump’s repeated complaints that European allies were not providing sufficient support.
The report documents some of the damage sustained by US aircraft, combat equipment and military bases in the region. Aircraft losses included the destruction or severe damage of four F-15E fighter jets, an F-35A fighter and an A-10 Warthog, which was also destroyed.
The report also recorded the destruction of 12 KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft and nine other aircraft, as well as the destruction of more than 30 MQ-9 drones through June, citing the Congressional Research Service.
The US State Department sustained more than $208 million in damage across four countries — Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The figure included $184 million in damage to diplomatic facilities and $25 million in costs resulting from delayed construction projects.
NBC News reported in April that damage inflicted by Iran on US military bases was more extensive than publicly disclosed. Last month, it also reported that Tehran had caused greater damage to US intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance assets than previously experienced by US agencies, with repairs estimated to cost billions of dollars.
The report did not address the morale of troops involved in the war. However, concerns over deteriorating conditions among personnel aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during its extended deployment in the Middle East have intensified recently, prompting the Pentagon to announce that the carrier would be replaced.
