Krieg im Nahen Osten: Irans Außenminister macht sich über US-Verluste lustig

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtschj had made light of the United States military's munition shortage and the war's losses against Iran, posting on X. He cited the US Defense Department's figures, saying Iran is not defenseless. Araghtschj dismissed the claim that Iran is defenseless as a "fiction." The US military had acknowledged in a report to Congress that Iranian attacks had damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at US military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan.

Dozens of US fighter jets, drones, and other aircraft had been destroyed or damaged, he added. This was "just the tip of the iceberg," Araghtschj quipped. US President Donald Trump had claimed just after the war's start, on February 28, that the Islamic Republic had "no defense at all" and no leadership left. Iran's Navy and Air Force were said to have been destroyed.

The conflict had since lasted over six months. A US Defense Department oversight agency reported in a congressional report that the war had caused severe ammunition shortages due to strategic stockpiles depletion and defense industry supply chain gaps. A large number of expensive anti-missile systems like THAAD and Patriot missiles were consumed.

One THAAD radar station worth $500 million was destroyed by Iran. According to the report, the US military alone had expended 60 to 70 Patriot countermissile rockets defending against an Iranian attack with about 20 ballistic missiles in Jordan last week. Over a dozen THAAD countermissile rockets were also used. The Pentagon estimates the total cost of the war to June end at $33.4 billion, with ammunition expenditure alone accounting for over $22 billion.