Iranian Strikes Damaged US Naval Base, Command Headquarters At NSA In Bahrain

Last Updated:June 26, 2026, 09:02 IST

The US military has maintained that no personnel were killed in the attacks and that operations at the base were not significantly affected.

Iranian missile and drone strikes caused significant damage to the US Navy’s base in Bahrain during attacks carried out between late February and June, forcing Washington to reassess its military presence across the West Asia, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

The outlet cited social media videos, imagery and interviews with current and former servicemembers and reported that the strikes damaged the command headquarters, at least a dozen other buildings and two satellite communications terminals at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet. The Pentagon has not publicly acknowledged the extent of the damage.

The US military has maintained that no personnel were killed in the attacks and that operations at the base were not significantly affected. Most personnel were evacuated, although a small contingent remains stationed there.

“Centcom rightfully prioritised the protection of people over buildings, and our strategy of protecting people worked," Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, told the outlet, adding that Iran launched more than 8,000 missiles and drones during the conflict and that only two strikes resulted in American fatalities.

US Reviewing Military Footprint In Region

The WSJ reported that damage sustained at NSA Bahrain, along with strikes on at least 20 other American military and diplomatic sites in the region, has prompted discussions within the US administration over reshaping its military posture in the Middle East.

Citing US officials familiar with the deliberations, the outlet said that options under consideration include redesigning the Bahrain base, reducing troop deployments in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, relocating some functions further west and moving command facilities underground. No final decisions have been taken.

Israel is among the locations being considered for hosting certain US military capabilities, according to two officials quoted by the report.

Questions Over Cost Damage

According to the report, the US government restricted access to commercial satellite imagery showing destruction at American facilities in April, saying the move was intended to protect US forces.

Pentagon officials have not disclosed the cost of the damage. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to provide an estimate during a congressional hearing, while Pentagon comptroller Jay Hurst told lawmakers that the department’s preliminary estimate of the war’s cost, then pegged at $29 billion, did not include damage to military bases.

The WSJ estimated reconstruction costs for damaged buildings at NSA Bahrain at around $400 million, while citing a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) that assessed total damage to US bases at between $2.2 billion and $5.1 billion.

Retired military officials quoted by the newspaper said the conflict exposed vulnerabilities in US installations built decades before Iran developed its current arsenal of precision missiles and drones.

The report noted that any decisions on rebuilding, relocating or downsizing American facilities in the Gulf could shape Washington’s military presence in the Middle East for years to come.

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