U.S. Talks With Allies to Share Cost of Rebuilding Bases Hit by Iran

Washington is in talks with allied nations to pay for some repairs to U.S. bases damaged by Iran, according to the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper reported on Oct. 30, citing U.S. officials. Many of the sites are shared with or owned by allies, it says.

The talks concern repair and rebuilding costs. The report excerpts Clash Report reviewed do not mention a request that Gulf states supply weapons. Clash Report found no host government quoted agreeing to pay.

What the Journal Found

The Journal's satellite analysis counts 274 damaged structures at 24 installations with a U.S. presence, according to reports of the findings. At least 119 buildings at 13 installations were hit in the first two weeks of the war, mostly in Kuwait.

U.S. officials told the Journal the Pentagon prices the damage at $5 billion at minimum. A separate person briefed on the cost said it could reach $15 billion. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates rebuilding the structures alone at more than $4 billion.

None of that is in the Pentagon's latest war tally. The $47.1 billion cost estimate as of Oct. 16 excludes base damage.

Who Might Pay

The Journal says some infrastructure may never be rebuilt. The Pentagon has weighed moving bases farther from Iran and pulling back from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, it has reported. Pulling out could leave allies more exposed.

Pentagon comptroller Jay Hurst told Congress in April that repair costs were not in the $1.5 trillion fiscal 2027 request. "Our partners also might contribute a share for that construction," he said, CNN reported.

Host-nation funding is not new. Qatar is funding more than 170 projects worth $10 billion at Al Udeid Air Base from 2026 to 2040, U.S. Air Forces Central said in February. The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command declined to comment to the Journal.

Weapons Are a Separate Track

In March, the Journal reported that the U.S. was fast-tracking about $23 billion in arms sales to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Jordan. Those are U.S. weapons sold to Gulf governments. They are not a request for the Gulf to supply weapons.

Fallout in Washington

Sen. Chris Murphy says he was barred from visiting Al Udeid, where the Journal found at least a dozen damaged buildings. He accuses the administration of masking the true cost of the war. The Defense Department says he was told of travel restrictions before the trip.

An Associated Press analysis published Oct. 31 found more than 115 strikes through August damaged structures at 26 bases and other sites. Kuwait took the most attacks, and Camp Buehring was among the hardest hit. Two regional officials told AP the U.S. has moved many assets out of the Persian Gulf.

The Pentagon told AP its forces and bases are "well protected." The U.S. has also warned Gulf states to brace for a new campaign after the Nov. 3 midterms.