Iran war damage to US bases may cost billions in reconstruction

The financial toll of the Iran war is mounting beyond battlefield losses, with hundreds of buildings at US military installations across the Middle East damaged in Iranian strikes, potentially adding billions of dollars to the cost of the conflict, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

An analysis of satellite imagery found that 274 structures at 24 installations with a US military presence sustained damage during the war's first six months.

Among the hardest-hit sites was Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, where an Iranian strike on July 17 killed three American service members and damaged at least 19 buildings, including facilities where troops sleep.

The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that rebuilding the damaged structures alone would cost more than $4 billion, excluding the replacement of equipment and systems inside the buildings.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has put the damage to US military bases at a minimum of $5 billion, with estimates potentially reaching $15 billion, according to US officials cited by the Journal.

These expenses come on top of the estimated $47.1 billion cost of the war as of Oct. 16, the report said.

Beyond the financial burden, the destruction has raised concerns over the safety of military personnel, with more than 20 US servicemembers killed and over 400 wounded since the conflict began Feb. 28.

Opposition Democrats in the US have accused the Trump administration of deliberately low-balling figures on the cost of the war, from casualties to its budgetary and wider financial costs.

[last para added by me. It's 100% true and not biased, but delete if needed]