NEW YORK, October 6. /TASS/. Damage inflicted to US bases in the Middle East turned out to be so severe that Washington will probably never fully restore its military presence in the region to the former scale, The Intercept wrote, citing unnamed US administration officials.

According to the report, a number of key US bases in the Middle East were damaged to the point where their "operations have been radically disrupted," and "base posture in the region may never recover."

Dozens of US aircraft were damaged or destroyed during the conflict, including four F-15 fighter jets, 12 KC-135 air refueling aircraft, and 30 MQ-9 Reaper attack drones.

The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding envisaging an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon. However, the United States resumed large-scale attacks on Iran overnight to July 8, having accused it of breaching the existing agreements in what concerned the Strait of Hormuz, a global chokepoint for approximately 25% of oil and some 20% of LNG supplies.

The Donald Trump administration recently signaled an end to any large-scale use of force against Iran and a transition to putting economic pressure on the Islamic Republic through sanctions instead.