Iran War Cost Tops $47 Billion, Pentagon Estimate Shows
The United States military has spent more than $47 billion on the war with Iran, according to Pentagon data. Most of it goes to replace munitions used in the fighting.
WASHINGTON, October 27- The cost of the war on Iran has climbed past $47 billion, according to Pentagon data, more than 25 percent higher than the Defense Department’s estimate in July. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the updated estimate has not been shared publicly.
Most of the money is going toward munitions. The data projects more than $29 billion to replace the weapons used in the conflict, while another $6 billion or more would be needed from Congress to replace equipment and what the Pentagon calls platform losses, including aircraft and many of the drones lost during the war.
The new figure compares with the $37.5 billion that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave in July. A separate estimate sent to Congress in September put the cost through the end of that month at $43.6 billion. One account of the new numbers, which were given to lawmakers, says the total reached $47.1 billion as of mid-October and includes about $11.9 billion in extra costs such as support for service members.
The figures cover a long list of operational costs, from flight operations to cyber support. They do not clearly include the expense of repairing American bases damaged by Iranian missile and drone attacks. That bill is expected to be large.
The numbers come at a hard time for Republicans. The war is unpopular, and the party is dealing with the political fallout a week before the November 3 election, which will decide control of Congress for the next two years. The war’s effect on global energy prices has weighed on support for Republican candidates and hurt President Donald Trump’s approval ratings. Trump’s party holds a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress.
Trump launched the war with Israel in February. He predicted that it would be short. His first plan was to use expensive, high-end precision missiles to bomb Iran’s defenses, so that cheaper weapons, such as air-launched gravity bombs called JDAMs, could be used later. Those cheaper bombs are plentiful.
An April ceasefire changed the picture. It gave Iran time to dig out underground storage sites, and it brought some air defenses back online, along with missiles and drones that had been out of reach.
Since then, Trump has ordered a naval blockade on Iran to cut off its oil export income. He has also said the United States may carry out another military operation after the midterm elections. American officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Pentagon has been preparing to resume heavy fighting if ordered to do so.
Other official bodies have flagged the cost of the war. The Congressional Budget Office said last month that the conflict could cost $2 billion to $3 billion a month for as long as it lasts. Part of that is the need to replace interceptor missiles used against Iranian attacks. The Pentagon’s inspector general said last month that the United States faces “strategic inventory shortfalls” because of the munitions used in the conflict. In response, the Defense Department is working to speed up production.
The administration has asked Congress for tens of billions of dollars in additional military funding this year, partly to cover the costs of the war with Iran. That request has not passed, and Democrats have pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide a more detailed accounting of how the money is being spent and what the conflict is expected to cost going forward.
Neither the White House nor the Pentagon has said how much more the war would cost if fighting resumes. The uncertainty has added pressure on lawmakers as they weigh the administration’s funding request, particularly given the rising price of replacing munitions, aircraft, drones, and other equipment lost during the conflict.
