Explainer: What were the real costs of the Iran-Israel war?

Since the ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect following US President Donald Trump's announcement early Tuesday, both sides have tried to claim victory. Israel has touted the operation as a success, insisting it met its military objectives. But it has avoided discussing the full extent of the damage it sustained over the 12-day conflict.

Iran has echoed that posture, portraying itself as defiant to the end by continuing missile exchanges up to the ceasefire and retaliating against US strikes by targeting Al Udaid base in Qatar. At the same time, it has downplayed the significant hits to its nuclear sites, senior military leadership, and scientific community.

While Iran endured far heavier losses overall, the damage on both sides is substantial, and the full toll remains unclear.

Here’s what we know so far.

A brief recap of the war

The war began on 13 June when Israel launched a surprise pre-dawn strike on Iran with US backing, killing top nuclear scientists and senior military leaders. Iran initially took time to regroup before launching its first barrage of missiles later that day.

Over the following 12 days, Iran and Israel traded missile fire. Israeli attacks, many launched from within Iran, revealed deep Israeli infiltration of Iran’s security network. Meanwhile, Iran exposed serious vulnerabilities in Israel’s much-hyped missile defence systems, managing to hit several key targets.

Israel announced a ceasefire on 24 June, claiming to have "eliminated an immediate dual threat, nuclear and ballistic". Israeli leaders repeatedly framed the war as a pre-emptive strike against Iran's capabilities.

Iran's losses

• Casualties: At least 610 civilians killed and over 4,700 injured, according to Iran’s health ministry.

• Scientific community: 28 scientists killed, including 12 nuclear experts and two AI specialists.

• Military leadership: Around 20 senior commanders assassinated, including Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Mohammad Bagheri and IRGC Commander Hossein Salami.

• Infrastructure damage: Strikes hit 21 of Iran’s 31 provinces, damaging airports (Tabriz, Mehrabad), nuclear and military sites (Natanz, Fordow, Shiraz Missile Plant, Parchin), and energy facilities.

• Key buildings: Bombings targeted the defence ministry, state TV HQ, and Iran’s Organisation of Defensive Innovation and Research.

• US strikes: On 21 June, US forces used bunker-busting bombs to hit enrichment facilities in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow.

• Cyberattacks: Israeli hackers disrupted Iran’s banking system and hacked into state TV broadcasts.

• Missile capabilities: Israel claims to have destroyed more than half of Iran’s missile launchers.

• Military vulnerability: Analysts say Iran’s air defences were severely compromised, leaving the country exposed to future strikes.

Israel’s losses

• Casualties: 29 civilians killed and around 2,500 injured.

• Missile impact: Only 31 of 525 Iranian missiles struck Israeli targets, but those that did caused unprecedented damage.

• Displacement: 10,000 Israelis were displaced, many spending days in overcrowded or inadequate shelters.

• Shelter crisis: Reports emerged of overcrowding, racial tensions, and even fatal strikes on so-called "safe rooms".

• Key targets hit: Iranian missiles struck Haifa’s oil refineries, the Weizmann Institute, and electricity infrastructure.

• Defence systems: The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel’s stockpile of Hetz interceptor missiles was running low, raising fears about long-range missile defence capabilities.

• Public confidence: Hundreds reportedly fled the country by sea, despite restrictions on exit points.

• Economic cost: Iranian missile strikes caused widespread destruction of buildings, vehicles, and infrastructure, with losses expected to reach billions.

Did Israel achieve its goals?

Some Israeli analysts argue that the war’s biggest success was not the destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities, but the political breakthrough of securing direct US military involvement.

Iran’s nuclear programme: degraded but not destroyed?

Israeli officials say the US strikes helped meet their goal of undermining Iran’s nuclear programme. But former Israeli general Yitzhak Brik warned in Haaretz that around 400kg of uranium enriched to 60 percent remains unaccounted for, enough to produce several bombs in under two weeks.

He stressed the need for a political solution to prevent Iran from moving closer to nuclear weapons capability.

This is an edited and abridged translation from our Arabic edition.