More than half of American military bases in the Middle East have been damaged by Iranian attacks. This is shown by a CNN investigation.
May 2, 2026, 10:12 amMay 2, 2026, 10:12 am
Despite massively destroyed and decimated military strength, Iran has apparently caused more damage to the US military than was previously known. Its military has hit at least 16 American installations in eight countries as part of its retaliation against U.S. and Israeli attacks on its own military installations. The American broadcaster CNN reported this on Friday in a TV report.
The extent of the damage was unprecedented, a US source familiar with the situation told CNN: “I’ve never seen anything like it. These are quick, targeted attacks using [modernster] technology,” said the source.
According to CNN, the main targets were aircraft worth several million US dollars. For example, at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, a Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft, which provides surveillance, command and control and communications services to the US military, was destroyed. This plane alone is said to be worth almost half a billion dollars and is currently no longer in production.
The destroyed Boeing E-3 Sentry.Image: screenshot x/cnn
But critical American communications systems were also targeted. At Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, satellite photos showed that Iran had destroyed all but one of the so-called Ray Domes. This refers to structures that serve to protect satellite dishes.
“Our radar systems are our most expensive and scarce resource in the region,” a congressional adviser familiar with the damage assessments told CNN. The radar systems are therefore the most difficult to replace.
Out of previous reports It was known that 13 US bases in the Middle East had become virtually “uninhabitable”. According to the New York Times, this has forced US soldiers to work from home from hotels and offices. Within the first two weeks of the war, Iranian attacks on U.S. military bases caused, according to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a BBC analysis Damage estimated at $800 million.
Pentagon: Iran war has cost $25 billion so far
On Wednesday, the US Department of Defense announced for the first time how much money the war in Iran has cost the country so far: according to a high-ranking Pentagon official, around $25 billion so far. These are estimated to be all the expenses that have been incurred since the beginning of “Operation Epic Fury,” said Jules Hurst at a House of Representatives hearing. Most of the money was spent on ammunition.
Hurst had announced that the Pentagon would request a supplementary budget through the White House “as soon as we have a complete assessment of the costs of the conflict.” According to the news portal Politico, Hurst had previously said that the first week of the Iran war cost $11 billion.
(lak, with material from the Keystone-SDA/DPA news agencies)