By The South Asia Times

WASHINGTON - An Iranian missile and drone strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia has wounded at least 12 American service members, two of them seriously, and damaged several US aircraft, according to The Wall Street Journal, marking one of the most significant breaches of American air defenses since the war began a month ago.

The attack, which struck the base on Friday, damaged multiple KC-135 aerial refueling tanker aircraft and hit a building on the installation, US and Arab officials told the Journal. The combined missile and drone assault amounted to what officials described as one of the most serious penetrations of US air defenses in the course of the month-long conflict.

Friday's strike adds to a mounting toll of American casualties. According to US Central Command, nearly 300 American troops have been injured since the war began on February 28, with approximately 225 suffering traumatic brain injuries from missile blasts.

Thirteen US service members have been killed, including Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, who died in a March 1 attack on the same Saudi base.

Iran has bombed US bases across the Middle East throughout the conflict, deploying a vast arsenal of ballistic missiles and drones in an effort to retaliate against the US-Israeli bombing campaign. The barrage has severely damaged bases and forced US Central Command to disperse thousands of troops out of the line of fire, some to as far away as Europe.

- Billions in Military Assets Lost

The material cost of the war is mounting rapidly. According to Elaine McCusker, a former Pentagon budget official now at the American Enterprise Institute, US military losses in the first three weeks of the conflict are estimated at between $1.4 billion and $2.9 billion.

Among the losses documented by The Wall Street Journal :

• Three F-15E fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by a Kuwaiti aircraft on March 1

• An F-35 stealth jet made an emergency landing on March 16 after reportedly coming under fire from Iranian air defenses

• Six crew members died in a midair collision between two KC-135 refueling planes over Iraq

• Five KC-135 tankers were damaged in Friday's Prince Sultan strike and are undergoing repairs

• More than a dozen MQ-9 Reaper drones have been lost, several shot down by missiles and others destroyed on the ground

• The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford suffered a fire on March 12 and is undergoing repairs in Greece

The bulk of damage on the ground has been caused by Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, which have also damaged aircraft and radar systems at US bases in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan.

- Trump Seeks Exit Amid Growing Political Pressure

As casualties mount and equipment losses escalate, President Donald Trump is privately pushing to end the conflict within the four-to-six-week timeline he announced at the start of the war, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Trump has told advisors that the Iran war is becoming a "distraction" from other priorities and has urged them to stick to the publicly announced timeline.

Some in Trump's circle want him to go hard on Iran, believing regime change in Tehran could define his legacy, but others have privately urged him to find an exit ramp amid spiking oil prices and concerns that a lengthy conflict could spark political backlash.

The president has been briefed on polling showing that most Americans now oppose the war, and some advisors have watched with alarm as oil prices surged above $100 a barrel, according to people familiar with the matter.

Despite the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and sustained US-Israeli bombing, Iran's leadership has shown surprising resilience. Observers note there are no signs of serious cracks or institutional breakdown in Tehran, contrary to initial US expectations that the regime would collapse under sustained pressure.

The Iranian military continues to hit high-value targets across a wide front encompassing Gulf countries, Israel, and beyond, demonstrating a clear strategy and coordination behind the attacks, analysts and Arab officials told the Journal.

Observable evidence of Iranian military effectiveness raises questions about how long the US and Israel can sustain their war from above and at what cost if their enemy refuses to fold.

The mounting costs have coincided with intensified diplomatic efforts. The US reportedly sent a 15-point proposal to Iran through Pakistan, but Tehran rejected it and set out five conditions to end the war, including reparations and recognition of Iran's authority over the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump has now given Iran until April 6 to reach a deal, writing on Truth Social: "As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time. Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media and others, they are going very well."

But with Iran showing no signs of collapse and US assets continuing to take damage, the path to a negotiated exit appears increasingly uncertain. As one analyst noted: "The US is apparently in trouble, and Trump is trying to find a way out, but Iran isn't making it easy."