We have all heard about the Iranian attacks against neighboring countries. It turns out that the vast majority of those attacks was against US bases (and caused about $2B of damage to equipment, as well as killing a number of US servicepeople.

The U.S. initially struck what it described as an Iranian drone operation and missile-related facilities near Bandar Abbas, stating the action was defensive because their location threated US warships.

Iran fired one ballistic missile and multiple drones targeting an American base in Kuwait in retaliation for U.S. strikes against Iranian drone and missile infrastructure near Bandar Abbas.

Original details on the retaliation and damage: In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched retaliatory missiles and drones at a U.S. installation in Kuwait and Kuwait's military intercepted the inbound Iranian ballistic missile. The U.S. and Kuwaiti militaries reported that there was no major damage or casualties directly caused by the strike, though some reports indicated that falling shrapnel and debris struck the Ali Al Salem air base.

The exchange escalated regional tensions and prompted U.S. officials to accuse Iran of violating their fragile ceasefire.

Leaked a couple of days later:

According to Bloomberg and the Kiev Post: Kuwaiti air defenses successfully intercepted an incoming Iranian Fateh-110 ballistic missile. However, heavy, mangled fragments of the missile rained down directly onto the flight line at the Ali Al Salem Air Base. One $30 million MQ-9 Reaper drone parked on the tarmac was caught in the immediate blast radius of the falling wreckage and completely obliterated. A second Reaper drone parked nearby sustained severe structural and electronic damage from the falling shrapnel.
Total Cost: The baseline material damage to the unmanned strike and reconnaissance fleet from the falling debris is estimated at roughly $60 million.

Personnel Injuries: The falling debris also wounded five U.S. service members and civilian contractors, all of whom sustained minor, non-life-threatening injuries

After the us expended a massive amount of high-end ammunition, Iran has thousands of ballistic missiles and drones available.

The US is in a bind. Attacking Iran is a losing proposition and physically digging up their enriched uranium with US troops is simply a day-dream, so attacking them and likely losing a number of warships would be politically toxic. Pulling back is aa sign of defeat and polit9ically toxic. Status quo mean that the expense, both on a national basis as well as a personal basis is becoming ever-more politically toxic.

After a full cabinet meeting where Trump was supposed to give a thump up/down to a tentative gameplan towards a deal with Iran, he did neither - maybe hoping some miracle will happen and a direction to an exit will appear.

Jeff