Sept. 14 (UPI) — The U.S. Defense Department’s inspector general, the agency’s official watchdog, issued its first report on the Iran conflict Monday, saying the United States is dealing with a shortfall of munitions.
The report, which is congressionally mandated, marks the department’s first formal accounting of losses from the conflict, which started in late February. It covers the period through June 30.
The report also cited communications with U.S. Central Command and said that “Iranian strikes damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, [United Arab Emirates], Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan.”
It also confirms that Iran targeted the U.S. Navy’s main logistics hub in the area, which is in Bahrain.
The conflict — during that time period — cost about $33.4 billion, which does not included the price of repairing the damaged U.S.facilities. NBC News reported in July that the war had so far cost $80 billion to $100 billion. The Pentagon said in July that it’s cost $37.5 billion so far, with that number not including repairing infrastructure and other costs.
There were no estimates of the amount needed to repair U.S. military facilities. The report said that there will be an estimated cost of $184 million to repair U.S. diplomatic facilities in the Middle East.
As far as munitions supplies, the report said “the munitions expenditure … has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply.”
To mitigate this, it said, the Defense Department “is working to streamline procurement processes and production lead times, and to stockpile critical materials, components and selected munitions to respond rapidly to a contingency.”
U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration, including department leader Pete Hegseth, have denied previous reports that munitions stockpiles were depleted.
On Monday, Trump said in a social media post that the United States is “producing more Exquisite and Elite Weapons than at any time in our History.”
“They are being delivered on a daily basis to our Forces in the Middle East and beyond,” he wrote. He did not address the information in the new report.
In early August, Trump said on social media that the United States has “massive amounts” of munitions. He called statements that said otherwise “treasonous” and said those making them will be “hunted down.”
“Long term jail sentences will be sought!” Trump said.
On Sept. 3, the president posted that the United States has “virtually unlimited” amounts of ammunition and called those reporting shortfalls “treasonous SCUM.”
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