Iran shows increasing ability to strike American military targets through combined operations
Tehran - BORNA - The remarks were cited by investigative news outlet The Intercept in a report published on Tuesday.
‘Significant damage’
According to the report, the Islamic Republic has carried out retaliatory strikes against at least nine US military outposts across the region since July 9. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said several of the facilities had sustained “significant damage.”
The report noted that leaked footage filmed at Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti Airbase had captured US troops taking shelter as warning sirens went off during Iranian ballistic missile and drone strikes on July 17 and 18. The operations killed three US troops stationed at the base, it added.
The official told the outlet that the Islamic Republic had “overwhelmed” US air-defense systems by employing attack drones alongside advanced ballistic missiles.
According to the official, the missiles are difficult to intercept because they travel at hypersonic speeds, possess advanced navigation systems designed to overcome electronic jamming, and, in some cases, can alter their flight path after launch.
The report also stated that shortages of Patriot and THAAD interceptor missiles have forced US troops to conserve defensive munitions.
The article referenced previous analyses indicating that US and allied forces expended more than 11,000 munitions only during the first 16 days of the wholesale unprovoked American-Israeli aggression that targeted Iran from February 28 until April 7.
It noted assessments by defense research organizations warning that inventories of Patriot and THAAD interceptors had been significantly reduced and could require several years to recover.
CENTCOM’s silence
According to the report, US Central Command (CENTCOM), which overseas the American troops deployed to the region, however, declined to comment on either such assessments or remarks made by Iranian officials pointing to the extent of the damage suffered by the US military and the Islamic Republic’s operational triumphs.
“I have nothing for you on that,” said Maj. Emma Thompson, CENTCOM's media operations chief.
“We don't comment on battle damage assessments,” she added.
US secretary of war’s pledges ‘obviously not true’
The report contrasted Iran’s operational victories with earlier “assurances” by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who told the Senate Armed Services Committee in April that “CENTCOM had every possible measure they could to ensure that our troops are protected.”
Commenting on Hegseth’s remarks at the time, the anonymous US official said his claims “obviously were not true.”
The official also pointed to earlier casualties at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait, where a March 1 drone strike exposed shortcomings in overhead protection.
The article concluded by stating that hundreds of US personnel had been killed or wounded as a result of Iranian retaliation since the onset of the unprovoked aggression, adding that the US Department of War’s official casualty figures significantly undercounted the total.
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