About $29 billion of the total goes to replacing munitions
The Pentagon’s latest estimate puts the cost of the Iran war to American taxpayers at $47.1 billion, according to a document the department provided to Congress and that The Associated Press obtained this week. The figure comes from U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, and is dated Oct. 16 — the most up-to-date cost estimate available since the United States and Israel launched the conflict in late February.
The estimate shows a $3.5 billion increase in U.S. spending since early September, when the running total stood at about $43.6 billion.
Most of the war’s costs go to replacing munitions, at about $29 billion. The Pentagon said the advanced weapons most in demand are defensive missile interceptors, including those launched by the Army’s Patriot and THAAD systems, and that the stockpiles of those weapons have been drawn down. A single Patriot interceptor costs millions of dollars.
The Pentagon says about $11.9 billion of the total is related to the cost of operations, with an additional $6 billion tied to equipment losses. Service-by-service figures put Air Force costs at $7.6 billion and Army costs at more than $2 billion. The Navy’s costs were listed at $1.45 billion, a significant drop from the $2.2 billion listed in early September.
Asked why the Navy’s estimate decreased over the roughly six-week period, both the Navy and U.S. Central Command referred questions to the Pentagon, which did not immediately respond to emails requesting comment on the new cost estimates.
The latest estimate does not include damage to U.S. bases in the Middle East, which Iran has attacked with ballistic missiles and drones. A Pentagon inspector general report released last month said Iranian strikes have damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and other structures at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan.
The Pentagon’s official tally lists 21 service members killed and 865 wounded in the conflict. That count includes troops who died in medical events and other situations that do not have a direct connection to the conflict, with 18 service members killed from Iranian strikes, combat aircraft crashes or the disposal of Iranian drones.
The cost of the conflict has become a key issue in the midterm elections, with voters on Tuesday deciding which party controls Congress during President Donald Trump’s last two years in office. The Associated Press reported that the growing cost of the unpopular war and its economic ripple effects on energy prices could hurt Republicans in next week’s midterm elections. According to a recent AP-NORC poll, most voters say they want Congress to prioritize ending the conflict.
Trump has said new strikes on Iran are an option after the midterms and is sending more military resources to the Middle East, despite initially promising Americans a military campaign that would last only a matter of weeks. A third aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops are making their way to the region, and the Trump administration has reduced staffing at some U.S. embassies after receiving intelligence that Iran has stepped up efforts to target American personnel. Trump has mused repeatedly about whether to make a deal with Iran or “finish them off.”
On Capitol Hill, the expense of the conflict and military spending in general are already contentious. The Trump administration is pushing for the passage of a historic $1.5 trillion military budget proposal, and the White House also is asking lawmakers to approve a $95 billion package that would help fund the Iran war and other priorities.
Wednesday marks eight months of the war, which Democrats have been trying to end through legislation that has failed to pass the Republican-controlled Congress. In a news release, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said: “Trump and his ego led us into this war with no plan, no authority, and no exit strategy.” Schumer said Senate Democrats will continue to do everything in their power to end the war and stop the costs, chaos and corruption seeping from the White House.
The Pentagon’s accounting leaves several questions open. The $47.1 billion estimate excludes damage to U.S. bases attacked by Iran, and the Navy’s cost estimate fell significantly from its early September figure without an explanation from the Pentagon. The estimate is dated Oct. 16, while a third aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops are still on their way to the region.