FACT CHECK: Donald Trump Claims Iranian Missiles ‘Never Hit The Fort’ In 2020 Attack

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

Former President Donald Trump claimed that Iranian missiles “never hit the fort” and suggested troops only suffered a “headache” when Iran launched ballistic missiles against U.S. forces in Iraq in January 2020.


Verdict: False

The Al Asad Airbase, where U.S. troops were stationed, was hit by several ballistic missiles. While most troops who were injured returned to duty quickly, dozens were awarded the Purple Heart and were treated for traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

Fact Check:

Trump claimed during an Oct. 1 press conference that Iranian missiles never hit a base housing U.S. troops in January 2020, saying they hit “outside the fort.” He also suggested that the troops only suffered a “headache,” though he later said that he accepted that it “hurt.”

“So first of all, injured, what does injured mean? Injured means because they had a headache, because the bombs never hit the fort,” Trump said. He further stated that “none of those very accurate missiles never hit our fort.”

“They all hit outside. And there was nobody hurt, except for the sound. It was loud. Some people said that hurt and I accept that,” Trump added. (RELATED: Kamala Harris Claims There Are Zero U.S. Troops In Combat Zones In War Zones)

This claim is false. Iran attacked the Al Assad Air Base in January 2020, an Iraqi base housing U.S. and coalition troops, in retaliation for the assassination of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Qassem Soleimani, according to CBS News. While no U.S. troops were killed in the attack, 110 suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI), the outlet reported.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) also released footage of the Iranian missile attack, showing that several ballistic missiles did, in fact, hit the base.

Satellite images taken before the attack and after the attack show damage to the base. The images showing the before and after were shared to YouTube by Space. Images of the damaged base were also published by the Pentagon and NPR.

U.S. service members described the missile attack in testimonials released by U.S. Air Forces Central Command, according to Task and Purpose. For example, one airman stated that a missile hit “within 150 meters” of their bunker.

“Three more missiles hit – one within 150 meters of our bunkers,We could hear a shower of debris raining over the bunkers, smoke and dust filling the air inside. Aside from our shaky breathing, an eerie silence followed, then we heard rounds of ammo cooking off,” Staff Sgt. Brian Sermons said, per the testimonial.

Another service member said that “a missile struck within 100 meters of their position.” Lt. Colonel Staci Coleman said that “blast waves could be felt throughout the entire body” in her testimonial. More testimonials can be read here.

Though 110 service members suffered from TBIs, most returned to duty fairly quickly, with 35 being evacuated to Germany and the U.S. for further treatment, per Radio Free Europe/Free Liberty. 39 service members were awarded the Purple Heart for injuries suffered from the Iranian attack, according to a 2021 Army Times report.

Former CBS News investigative reporter Catherine Herridge stated in a Sept. 30 X post that 50 service members had been awarded the Purple Heart.

“NEW: After a query from our investigative team, Army Human Resources Command moved on an additional 8 Purple Hearts, filed in August, for Iran’s Jan 2020 ballistic missile attack on the Al Asad airbase. Iran’s attack on Al Asad remains the largest ballistic missile strike against American forces in US history.  After our 2021 report, more than 3 dozen Purple Hearts were also awarded. Total: 50,” Herridge tweeted.

Trump also claimed that the Iranians provided advanced warning to the U.S. that they were going to attack the air base and were not going to hit it. The Washington Post rated it as false in November 2023.

The U.S. knew that the attack was coming as “U.S. intelligence agencies watched Iran fill its missiles with liquid fuel,” per CBS News. This allowed the U.S. to evacuate personnel and aircraft from the base, the outlet reported.

Trump had credited an early warning system and advance notice from the Iraqi government for the lack of deaths during the Iranian attack, according to Air and Space Forces Magazine. The Space Force had detected the launch of the missiles, sending warnings to the personnel at the base, per the outlet.

European and U.S. officials thought the attack was not meant to inflict casualties, according to Reuters. The Pentagon stated that they believed the attack was meant to kill U.S. personnel, per Fox News. (RELATED: Does This Video Show Lebanese Citizens Celebrating Nasrallah’s Death?)

Check Your Fact reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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