BBC probe reveals Iranian strikes heavily damaged at least 20 US military bases in West Asia

Tehran’s precision strikes on US military sites caused tens of billions in damage  

News Desk - The Cradle 

A BBC Verify investigation of satellite imagery and video analysis published on 1 June reveals that Iranian military strikes successfully damaged at least 20 US military sites across West Asia since the start of the US-Israeli war of aggression on the Islamic Republic.

Findings suggest that the scale and precision of Iranian retaliatory strikes had been significantly more extensive and accurate than US officials had previously acknowledged, with some independent analysts suggesting as many as 28 bases may have been affected.

The targeted facilities are spread across eight Gulf countries, namely Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain, and Oman. 

Material losses include three Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries, which cost approximately $1 billion each and are centerpieces of the regional defense network.

Expert analysis further identifies the destruction or damage of at least 42 aircraft, including F-35 fighter jets, MQ-9 Reaper drones, and a $700-million E-3 Sentry surveillance plane.

According to military analysts, Iran achieved these results by evolving its tactics from high-volume barrages to “smaller, more precisely targeted salvos” designed to concentrate fire on high-value infrastructure. 

This shift reportedly exploited a degree of “early-war complacency” within the US military, which failed to relocate aircraft even after facilities like Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia had already come under fire.

In a statement addressing the strikes, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei declared that West Asia is no longer a “safe place” for US bases. 

While the White House previously claimed Iran’s military capabilities were nearly eliminated, the Pentagon's own estimates now place the cost of the war at $29 billion, much of which is dedicated to equipment repair and replacement of the heavily depleted weapons stocks.

Former military officials warn that the damaged defense systems cannot be “quickly or easily replaced,” adding that the heavy consumption of air defense interceptors during the conflict has left remaining US facilities across the Gulf increasingly vulnerable to future Iranian precision strikes. 

Although the US has attempted to limit public scrutiny by requesting restrictions on satellite imagery, the visible “smoking craters” and destroyed hangars shown in the BBC report tell a different story.
On Sunday night, Iran said it had launched strikes on a US air base in Kuwait in retaliation for US attacks on Iranian military targets over the weekend in violation of the ceasefire.