US spending on Iran war tops $47 billion, exceeding Pentagon’s July estimate by over 25%
Internal Pentagon figures seen by Reuters show the US has spent more than $47 billion on the Iran war, as Republicans face political pressure before the November 3 congressional election.
Washington, United States. The US military has so far spent more than $47 billion on the war in Iran, Pentagon figures obtained by Reuters show, which is over 25% above the Defense Department’s estimate from July. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the estimate has not been made public.
What the estimate covers
The latest figure is linked to the operational costs of waging the war. Replacing munitions expended in the conflict is projected to cost more than $29 billion. A further sum of over $6 billion would be needed to replace military equipment and what the data labels “platform losses”, a category that covers aircraft lost during the war, including many drones.
Political backdrop
The disclosure comes while Republicans deal with the fallout from an unpopular conflict ahead of the November 3 election, which will decide who controls Congress for the next two years. The war’s effect on global energy costs has reduced support for Republican candidates and damaged the approval ratings of President Donald Trump. His party holds a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress.
How the war has unfolded
Trump launched the war together with Israel in February and predicted it would be brief. His initial strategy relied on costly, high-end precision missiles to hit Iran’s defenses first, so that cheaper munitions could be used later, such as gravity bombs including the air-launched JDAMs, which are plentiful.
An April ceasefire, however, gave Iran time to dig out underground storage facilities. That brought some of its defenses back online, along with missiles and drones that had been inaccessible.
Trump has since imposed a naval blockade on Iran to cut its oil export revenue, and he has left open the possibility of resuming combat operations after the midterm elections. US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Pentagon has been preparing to resume heavy fighting if it receives such an order.
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