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Pentagon exposes mass US aircraft losses and base damage from Iran war | latest news today
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A landmark Pentagon report has exposed the devastating cost of the Iran war for the US military: 59 aircraft damaged or destroyed, bases struck across the Middle East, and critical missile stockpiles depleted for up to 5 years.

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks to former Defense and State Department insider Kori Schake, now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. She unpicks how the report lays bare the underpreparedness of Donald Trump’s administration for Iran’s precision missile attacks on key US assets.

They also discuss how the toll of the war has created a critical window of vulnerability that China could exploit in the Pacific if it wanted to seize Taiwan.

Plus, Anthropic’s new threat report reveals how Iran and the Houthis are using Claude AI to finetune weapons and target the US Navy, Trump goes behind Saudi Arabia’s back to make a secret deal with the Yemeni militants over the Red Sea, and will Pete Hegseth be impeached?

CHAPTERS
00:00:00 - Pentagon Report Reveals Cost of Iran War & US Base Damage
00:01:17 - Red Sea Escalation: Saudi Jet Downed & Houthi-US Ceasefire Deal
00:04:35 - Did Trump Betray Saudi Arabia? Analysis on US Defense Policy
00:06:03 - $38 Billion War Cost: Pentagon Shortfall & Debt Overhang
00:11:01 - Critical Interceptor Shortages: Patriot & THAAD Missile Stocks Depleted
00:14:20 - US Military Equipment Losses: F-15s, F-35s & $500M AWACS Damaged
00:16:58 - Leaked Base Damage & Calls to Impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 00:22:41 - US War Crime Allegations: Minaret School Strike Investigation
00:25:48 - Strategic Vulnerability: How the Iran War Impacts America vs. China 0
0:28:44 - AI Security Threats: Houthis & IRGC Using Anthropic’s Claude

PIC CREDIT: CBS

CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey
Kori Schake, director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute @KoriSchake

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Houthis claim to have shot down Saudi fighter jet
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/16/houthis-claim-downing-of-saudi-fighter-jet/

Akhtar Makoii: Four ways the Houthis became a major military power
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/17/four-ways-houthis-major-military-power-yemen-iran-weapons/

US committed war crimes in Iran school strike, say UN experts
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/09/17/us-committed-war-crimes-iran-school-strike-experts/

CBS: New photos show widespread damage at U.S. positions caused by Iranian missile, drone attacks
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-photos-damage-u-s-kuwait-saudi-arabia-iran-drone-missile-attacks/

LEAD INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT ON OPERATION EPIC FURY
https://media.defense.gov/2026/Sep/09/2003993626/-1/-1/1/OEF_Q3_JUN2026_FINAL_508%20SECURE.PDF

Anthropic: Detecting and countering misuse of AI - September 2026
https://www-cdn.anthropic.com/e50be2e51e7695dc4b1366a37a245a597377d3b5/Anthropic-Detecting-and-countering-091026.pdf

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026
Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026
Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026
The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Video Producer: Max Bower
Audio Producer: Peter Shevlin
Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh
Studio Operator: Andy Watson
Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey

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Tags
Iran war, Iran, US
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