'Multiple US jets damaged' in Iran's latest strikes

Iranian strikes this week damaged multiple US military aircraft at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in , a US official said on Thursday, as satellite images also indicated possible oil slicks near the Strait of Hormuz following American strikes on tankers linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

The US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said an Iranian strike hit an A-10 Thunderbolt II, known as the Warthog, leaving it with a missing wing. About eight F-15 fighter jets sustained light damage but were subsequently returned to service.

The attack added to material losses suffered by the US military since the conflict began in February. A May Congressional Research Service report said 42 US military aircraft had already been lost or damaged. Eighteen US service members have been killed and more than 800 injured during the conflict.

According to the latest report, the official said the Iranian attack required US forces to fire about 30 Patriot interceptors to counter ballistic missiles, raising concerns over American stocks of air-defence missiles and other interceptors.

While US inventory figures remain classified, the Center for Strategic and International Studies has estimated that about 65% of US Patriot interceptors were expended between February and July, leaving fewer than 850 from 2,330 before the war began.

The Iranian strike followed US attacks on five Iranian crude oil tankers, which Washington said were carried out after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over two days.

Satellite images analysed by experts appeared to show oil slicks near the Strait of Hormuz following the tanker strikes. A Copernicus satellite image showed brownish streaks on the sea surface about 20 kilometres off Iran's coast, with a second image taken on Thursday showing similar winding streaks.