U.S. Military's Iran War Bill Hits $47.1 Billion

The U.S. military has spent at least $47.1 billion on the war with Iran as of mid-October, according to a U.S. Central Command estimate provided to lawmakers. The figure hasn’t been shared publicly. The Pentagon didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The estimate is more than $3 billion above the early September figure of about $43.6 billion, and more than 25% higher than the Defense Department’s July estimate of $37.5 billion. The machinery of war keeps running up a bill; the public still can’t see the underlying estimate.

Where the money goes

Replacing expended munitions accounts for the largest share: about $29 billion, according to CENTCOM’s Oct. 16 estimate. The estimate also counts $6.1 billion to replace lost equipment and about $11.9 billion in incremental costs, including support for U.S. service members.

The Air Force’s support for deployed personnel, airlift, bases, communications and transportation in theater costs $7.6 billion. The reported categories also include operational expenses such as flight operations and cyber support. More than $6 billion is needed to replace military equipment and “platform losses,” including aircraft and many drones lost during the war.

The accounting leaves major costs outside its frame. It doesn’t include damage to U.S. military bases in the Middle East, many of which Iranian drones and missiles targeted, or clearly account for the expected expense of repairs.

The Congressional Budget Office said last month that the war could cost $2 billion to $3 billion per month for as long as it continues. Interceptor missiles used to defend against Iranian attacks must also be replaced. Exchanges between the United States and Iran were common over the summer, though they’d been quiet in recent weeks.

Moody’s Analytics estimated the conflict had cost the average American household $2,000. That household bill sits alongside billions spent on weapons, equipment and military operations.

A war bill beside the ballot

President Trump launched the war jointly with Israel in February, predicting it would last a short time. The conflict was set to enter its ninth month in the week of the CBS News report, and its future remained unclear.

His initial strategy focused on expensive, high-end precision missiles to bomb Iran’s defenses, then less expensive weapons, including plentiful gravity bombs such as air-launched JDAMs. An April ceasefire gave Iran time to dig out underground storage facilities, bringing defenses, missiles and drones back online.

Trump has since imposed a naval blockade on Iran to deprive it of oil export revenue and raised the possibility of restarting combat operations after the midterm elections. U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity said the Pentagon had been planning to restart heavy fighting if ordered to do so.

The cost disclosure comes as Republicans face political fallout ahead of the Nov. 3 election, which will determine control of Congress for the next two years. The war’s effect on global energy costs has weighed on support for Republican candidates and hurt President Donald Trump’s approval ratings. His party holds a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress. The election is a contest over congressional control; the estimate shows the military spending already underway.

More fighting remains on the table

The Hill reported that CENTCOM had drawn up plans for follow-up strikes if authorized by the White House and that the United States had several strike options. At a rally in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Tuesday, President Trump said the United States was “making an absolute fortune because of the situation” in the Middle East and predicted the war would “end very soon.”

At a rally in Florida the previous week, he told supporters, “We may do another little Epic Fury, or they’ll agree.” He suggested he might restart hostilities after next month’s midterm elections unless Iran agreed to a deal.

The Pentagon inspector general said last month that the United States faced “strategic inventory shortfalls” because of the number of munitions expended, prompting the Defense Department to work to speed up production. The Trump administration has argued the military isn’t facing shortages. In early September, Mr. Trump said, “we have virtually unlimited amounts of Mid to High Grade Ammunition, far more than we could ever use.”

The administration requested tens of billions of dollars in supplemental military funding from Congress earlier in the year, partly because of the Iran war. The request hadn’t passed, and Democrats had pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for a more detailed accounting of the war’s cost. The spending continues to be counted in billions; the estimate remains out of public view.