WASHINGTON (The Thursday Times) — The US war on Iran has now cost the American military more than $47 billion, over a quarter more than the Pentagon’s own estimate three months ago, according to internal Defense Department figures reported by Reuters.
The estimate, which has not been made public, compares with the $37.5 billion that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave senators in July. The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment, Reuters said.
Where the money went
More than $29 billion of the projected cost is for replacing munitions fired during the conflict, and over $6 billion for replacing equipment and “platform losses”, including aircraft and many drones. The figures do not clearly include what is expected to be a large bill for repairing US bases hit by Iranian missiles and drones. The Congressional Budget Office has separately estimated the war’s cost rising by about $3 billion a month, and warned it could take five years to rebuild US weapons stockpiles.
President Donald Trump launched the war alongside Israel in February, expecting a short conflict and planning to use expensive precision missiles first and cheaper bombs later. An April ceasefire, however, gave Iran time to dig out underground stores and bring some defences, missiles and drones back into use. Trump has since imposed a naval blockade to choke off Iran’s oil exports, and US officials say the Pentagon is preparing to resume heavy fighting if ordered.
A war on the ballot
The new figure lands days before the November 3 midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress. The war’s impact on energy prices has hurt Trump’s approval ratings and weighed on Republicans, who hold narrow majorities in both chambers.
The conflict has also squeezed Pakistan, where QatarEnergy has halted LNG supplies to Pakistani buyers until year-end and fuel prices remain well above pre-war levels.
