The military costs of the United States in the war against Iran have increased to $47.1 billion. This figure is based on unclassified estimates provided to Congress and includes costs for munitions and other military operations.
Details of Costs and Ongoing Increases
This cost has increased by $3.5 billion compared to the previous estimate presented to Congress in mid-September and is $9.6 billion higher than the estimates provided in July. Notably, costs related to munitions account for nearly $30 billion of the total costs, which is significantly higher than other estimated expenses.
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Combined air and naval operations by the United States against Iran have largely ceased since June, following the signing of a ceasefire agreement in Islamabad. However, the United States has continued to carry out limited strikes in Iran sporadically to deter Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Repair and Reconstruction Costs
Recent estimates do not include projected costs for repairing and reconstructing extensive damage to U.S. military bases and infrastructure in the region. These infrastructures have been damaged due to frequent precise missile and drone attacks by Iran.
Jay Hirst, acting comptroller of the Pentagon, informed Senate lawmakers in July that these costs cannot be estimated due to uncertainty in future plans for funding reconstruction efforts in coordination with host countries.
A group of five Democratic senators sent an open letter last week to the senior commander of CENTCOM, Admiral Brad Cooper, asking him to publicly disclose the estimated costs for reconstruction. The letter states that he has provided this information in a closed session to committee members.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) led this letter and emphasized that "even if the Department of Defense has not yet decided which facilities to rebuild, disclosing these costs is at least the transparency that the Department of Defense owes to the public."
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