Iranian strikes inflict heavy damage on US bases across Persian Gulf

Iranian missile and drone strikes have caused significant damage to US military installations across the Persian Gulf during the first month of hostilities, marking a shift toward a more conventional and costly form of conflict for Washington, The Times reports.

Unlike previous engagements against non-state actors, the United States is now confronting a “fully functioning state,” exposing vulnerabilities in its defences and resulting in losses more typical of traditional warfare. Iran, analysts note, had long prepared for such a scenario, coordinating attacks on US positions across the region.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has targeted multiple bases using missiles and waves of drones, including the long-range Shahed-136. The impact has been substantial: more than 300 US personnel have been injured, 13 killed, and damage costs are estimated at nearly $1.5 billion.

A particularly notable incident occurred at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, where a US E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft was destroyed. Other sites across Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Iraq have also sustained damage to radar systems, aircraft, and communications infrastructure.

Despite the deployment of advanced air defence systems, the Pentagon has struggled to counter the volume and effectiveness of Iranian drone attacks. One former senior defence official criticized the response, stating: “The failure of the Department of Defence adequately to incorporate the lessons of the war in Ukraine, as opposed to just studying them, particularly counter-drone warfare, is a bipartisan failing across two administrations.”

US officials had anticipated that some threats would penetrate defences. “Some Iranian missiles and drones would get through,” Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged at the outset of the conflict. However, the scale and persistence of the attacks have strained military resources.

Experts warn that confronting a state adversary requires more than military force. Retired Air Marshal Martin Sampson noted: “A state adversary fights both symmetrically and asymmetrically… Iran has other layers of power they can bring to bear.”

As the conflict enters its fifth week, the US faces mounting operational and financial pressure, alongside concerns about maintaining long-term military readiness.

By Vafa Guliyeva