In purely military terms, the results of the first weeks of Operation Epic Fury were impressive. The initial strikes hit IRGC command centers, air-defense facilities, missile and drone positions, and military airfields.
During the opening phase of the war, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed, while a significant part of the senior military leadership was eliminated or removed from the chain of command.
Continued. Read Part I of the series: America’s Military Machine in the Iran War
The naval forces suffered particularly heavy losses. In less than three weeks, the Pentagon reported more than 120 Iranian vessels damaged or sunk, including all 11 submarines.
CENTCOM later raised the number of damaged or destroyed vessels to more than 155. At the same time, the US command reported a sharp decline in the intensity of Iran’s ballistic missile and drone attacks.
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The First Strike: Decapitate and Paralyze
First, let us briefly recall what the United States and Israel managed to destroy in the first hours and days:
- leadership and command structures;
- a significant part of the air-defense network;
- missile facilities and launchers;
- naval infrastructure;
- ships and submarines;
- warehouses and production facilities.
We will not repeat the figures from the first article. Here, it is enough to show the logic behind the attacker’s initial strategy: the strike was intended to create shock, disrupt command and sharply reduce Iran’s ability to respond in an organized manner.
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By the end of the first month of the war, the White House stated that Iran’s navy had been destroyed, its air force was in ruins, and a significant part of the regime’s leadership had been eliminated.
This was, of course, the assessment of the US administration itself, but the scale of the physical destruction inflicted on Iran’s military capabilities was indeed enormous.
It would seem that after a strike of such magnitude, the only remaining question should have been when Iran would surrender and on what terms.
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However, the first days of the war showed the opposite. Iran did not attempt to respond to the United States symmetrically. It did not have two carrier strike groups, hundreds of modern fighter jets or the ability to conduct a comparable air campaign.
Tehran therefore relied on what it possessed in large quantities: ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and one-way attack drones. Its targets included not only Israel and US military facilities themselves, but virtually the entire infrastructure of the American presence in the region.
According to the independent organization Airwars, during the first 40 days of the war alone, Iran launched about 650 ballistic missiles and thousands of attack drones at Israel.
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At the same time, Airwars estimates that approximately 6,400 missiles and unmanned systems were directed at US-aligned states in the Persian Gulf. This is not official Pentagon or Iranian statistics, but rather the result of open-source monitoring. Nevertheless, it provides an indication of the scale of Iran’s retaliatory campaign.
Another point is equally important: Iran’s response almost immediately ceased to be a bilateral conflict with the United States and Israel.
On March 2, the United States, together with the governments of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, officially reported Iranian missile and drone attacks on the territories of Bahrain, Iraq, including Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Thus, within just a few days, the geography of Iran’s response had encompassed much of the Middle East.
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Israel: About 650 Ballistic Missiles and Thousands of Drones
Israel remained the main destination for Iran’s direct missile response. During the first 40 days, Airwars estimated that Iran launched approximately 650 ballistic missiles and thousands of one-way attack drones.
Although Israel’s air defenses intercepted and shot down about 95% of the missiles and drones, Airwars recorded more than 100 incidents involving damage to Israel’s civilian population and the West Bank.
At the same time, most of the damage to residential structures was caused not by the ballistic missiles themselves, but by debris from intercepted warheads weighing a ton or more.
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Strikes and falling warheads were recorded in different parts of the country.
The Associated Press reported damage to residential buildings in Tel Aviv, facilities in Beit Shemesh, a road in Jerusalem and the impact of an Iranian warhead near the Old City.
At the same time, the Israeli military traditionally did not disclose information about hits on most Israeli military facilities. But Israel was only one direction of Iran’s response.
UAE: More Than 1,000 Drones and Hundreds of Missiles
The pressure on the United Arab Emirates proved particularly intense.
According to UAE authorities, cited by the Associated Press, 205 ballistic missiles and 1,184 drones were detected in the country’s airspace during the first week of the war.
Most were intercepted, but some drones and debris reached the country. On a single day, Emirati forces reported destroying nine ballistic missiles and intercepting 109 drones.
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The strikes did not target only US facilities. On March 1, two Iranian drones hit a naval base at Port Zayed in Abu Dhabi used by the French armed forces.
The impacts were confirmed by video footage and satellite imagery; French and Emirati authorities reported no casualties. Subsequent satellite analysis showed damage to US missile-defense infrastructure in the UAE, including elements of the THAAD system.
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Bahrain: Strike on the US Fifth Fleet Headquarters
Bahrain is of particular importance to the United States because it is home to the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet. It was among the targets.
The Associated Press reported that by the end of the first week alone, Bahraini authorities had recorded 75 Iranian ballistic missiles: 65 were destroyed by air defenses, while another 10 fell within the kingdom.
At the same time, 124 drones were detected, 88 of which were shot down. An Iranian missile also struck a government oil refinery in Maamir. But the subsequent assessment of the military infrastructure proved far more significant.
A Washington Post investigation based on satellite imagery identified damage at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet.
Among the damaged facilities was a satellite antenna, along with other infrastructure elements. According to the investigation, a significant share of the confirmed damage to US facilities occurred in Bahrain and at several bases in Kuwait.
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Qatar: Al Udeid also proved Vulnerable
Another key target was Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, one of the most important US military centers in the Middle East.
Qatar’s Ministry of Defense reported an incident in which 14 ballistic missiles and four drones were launched at the country: all four drones and 13 missiles were intercepted, while another missile fell into the sea.
A day earlier, Iran had launched two more ballistic missiles, one of which struck the area of Al Udeid Air Base. No casualties were reported at the time.
A subsequent satellite analysis by The Washington Post identified damage to at least two satellite communications facilities at Al Udeid.
This is an important detail: the Iranian strikes were aimed not only at runways or warehouses, but also at communications, radar, missile defense and command systems — the infrastructure that enables the US military network to function.
Kuwait: One of the Most Heavily Hit US Military Hubs
The situation for US forces in Kuwait proved particularly serious. Several major American facilities were located there, including Ali Al Salem Air Base, Camp Arifjan and Camp Buehring.
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A satellite analysis by The Washington Post identified damage to barracks, hangars, warehouses, radar facilities and energy infrastructure. At Ali Al Salem, elements of the Patriot system and radar installations were damaged; at Camp Arifjan, radar domes were hit; at Camp Buehring, a power plant and other facilities were damaged.
The first independent satellite imagery of Camp Buehring, obtained in early March, showed at least two damaged buildings, while video footage captured a Shahed drone approaching and exploding directly on the base.
The US Embassy in Kuwait also came under attack. The Associated Press reported that satellite imagery showed the destruction of the complex’s main building and signs of a major fire.
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US forces suffered particularly painful losses in Kuwait. According to a subsequent Washington Post investigation, six American servicemen were killed in early March when an Iranian drone struck a tactical operations center.
Saudi Arabia: From the US Embassy to an Air Base
Saudi Arabia also became a direct target of Iran’s response. According to Saudi authorities, two drones struck the US embassy compound in Riyadh, causing a small fire and limited damage. Iranian drones also attacked the Ras Tanura oil complex, while a cruise missile was intercepted over the Al-Kharj area.
Satellite analysis also identified damage at Prince Sultan Air Base. Among the damaged assets, The Washington Post identified an E-3 Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft and an aerial refueling tanker.
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Thus, Iran sought to strike not simply air bases themselves, but the most scarce elements of US aviation infrastructure — command and control systems and aerial refueling capabilities.
Jordan: Strike on Missile Defense
Jordan also became part of the American war-fighting system and, consequently, part of Iran’s target network. Satellite imagery showed damage to radars and equipment belonging to the US THAAD system at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base.
Iranian missiles and drones repeatedly crossed Jordanian airspace. During the first week alone, several people were injured by debris following air-defense operations.
The attacks on US infrastructure in Jordan continued later, demonstrating that even after several weeks of bombardment, Iran retained the ability to strike facilities at considerable distances from its own territory.
Iraq: Erbil and US Infrastructure
Iranian forces and groups aligned with Tehran also attacked US facilities in Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan. Large-scale missile and drone launches were recorded around Erbil.
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Several drones headed toward the area of the US consulate; some were intercepted, while debris caused fires and material damage. Iraqi groups aligned with Iran simultaneously announced attacks on facilities housing US personnel.
By the end of March, the governments of six Arab states separately called on Baghdad to halt the activities of pro-Iranian armed groups using Iraqi territory to launch attacks against neighboring countries.
The Strikes reached beyond the Persian Gulf
The geography of Iran’s response proved even broader. On March 1, a Shahed attack drone reached the British RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus and caused minor damage. The following day, two more drones heading toward the base were intercepted.
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Thus, Iran’s retaliatory campaign covered not only Israel and US bases in the Persian Gulf states, but also military facilities belonging to Western countries across a much wider area.
15 US Military Bases and @ least 228 damaged Objects
The most comprehensive picture of the actual effectiveness of Iran’s strikes emerged later, when journalists were able to compare Iranian publications with satellite imagery.
The Washington Post investigation examined more than 100 high-resolution satellite images and cross-checked them using Europe’s Copernicus system and commercial imagery from Planet.
The analysis identified 217 damaged or destroyed structures and 11 pieces of equipment — at least 228 objects across 15 US military sites in total.
The damaged facilities included barracks and residential buildings, hangars and warehouses, fuel storage facilities, radar stations, Patriot and THAAD systems, satellite communications equipment, command posts, aircraft and aviation equipment, and energy infrastructure.
By the end of April, seven US servicemen had been killed and more than 400 wounded in attacks on American facilities. Most returned to duty relatively quickly, but the US military classified at least 12 wounded personnel as having suffered serious injuries.
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The Washington Post itself stressed that the figure of 228 objects was not the final total, but only the damage that could be confirmed using available satellite imagery.
Access to high-quality commercial satellite images of the region became significantly more limited after the first weeks of the war. For this reason, the actual scale of the strikes may have been greater.
The Asymmetric Response
The result is a completely different picture from what might have been expected after the initial American strikes.
The United States and Israel achieved air superiority over Iran and destroyed a significant part of its navy, air defenses, missile production facilities, launchers and command infrastructure. Iran, however, proved capable of waging a completely different kind of war. Not aircraft against aircraft. Not carrier against carrier.
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A missile and a cheap drone against a vast network of stationary US bases, airfields, headquarters, radars, warehouses and allied infrastructure.
This is where a weakness emerged that the initial US plan, judging by the results of the campaign, underestimated: Iran did not necessarily have to defeat the American military machine. It only had to survive the initial strike and retain the ability to make the entire US regional system pay for every additional day of war.
But missiles and drones were only the first part of Iran’s response.
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The next blow proved far more painful for the United States and its allies. It was aimed not only at military bases, but at the normal life of the entire region: aviation, airports, tourism, trade and maritime transportation.
Over recent decades, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha have become not merely tourist destinations, but some of the world’s largest transportation hubs.
Dubai International alone handled a record 95.2 million passengers and nearly 455,000 flights in 2025 — an average of about 260,000 passengers and more than 1,200 takeoffs and landings every day.
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By the summer of 2026, Abu Dhabi was handling about 93,000 passengers and nearly 500 flights per day. Through the hubs of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad, at least 90,000 people traveled daily on connecting routes alone.
The entire finely tuned system began to collapse within hours. After the war began, the airspace over Iran, Iraq, Israel and parts of the Gulf states was closed or sharply restricted.
More than 2,800 flights were canceled on a single Sunday, while during the first days, restrictions affected nearly 13,000 of the 32,000 scheduled flights in the region. Dubai International effectively ceased normal operations, while Qatar Airways and Etihad suspended a significant portion of their flights.
Thousands of people became stranded at airports and hotels, and governments began organizing evacuation flights. States that had spent decades selling the world an image of absolute safety, comfort and predictability found themselves part of a major war zone almost overnight.
The blow to cruise tourism was equally symbolic. Six major cruise ships carrying around 15,000 passengers and more than 6,000 crew members became stranded in the ports of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.
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People who had been buying cruises through one of the world’s most prosperous tourist regions only a day earlier suddenly found themselves aboard ships surrounded by missile warnings, closed airports and no normal way to return home.
This was perhaps the first genuine psychological shock of the war for the Gulf states. The question was no longer whether an American base could withstand several Iranian missiles.
The very reputation of the region as a safe global center for tourism, aviation, business and transit was at stake. What had been built over decades and taken almost for granted proved capable of being paralyzed within a matter of hours.
But even that was not the end.
Iran’s most powerful instrument of pressure was neither in its missile silos nor at its military bases. It was on the map. The narrow maritime corridor between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula allowed Tehran to do something thousands of missiles could not: transfer the consequences of a regional war to the global economy.
When geography becomes a weapon — the Strait of Hormuz, oil and the consequences of its effective blockade for the global economy — will be examined in the next installment of the “Geopolitics Made Simple” series.
Pravda / ABC Flash Point News 2026.
Iran may have been seriously bombed to pieces, but the USA/Israel Zionist coalition lost the war resulting in higher oil prices due to the Hormuz blockade and incapacitated military bases and loss of major Arab allies.
A well presented truthful and accurate summation of the present situation in the American war to force Israeli hegemony on the whole of the Middle East .Make no mistake America assisted by the UK are complicit in Israel achieving its “Talmudic Dream ” of ruling over all of the Middle East . In the process the ordinary citizens are suffering in high prices for fuel/food and homes resulting in the UK at least in widespread Food Kitchens . WE are suffering on behalf of Israel. Lie after Lie is dished out by our governments to cover up reality therefore trust… Read more »