The opening week of the war against Iran has already cost the United States more than $11.3 billion, according to a report by The New York Times citing details from a Pentagon briefing to lawmakers.
The report, which referenced unnamed sources familiar with a closed-door briefing held on Tuesday, said members of Congress were informed that the figure covers only the direct costs of the first week of fighting. It does not include many expenses associated with the military buildup prior to the strikes, meaning the final cost for the initial phase of the conflict could be significantly higher.
Defense officials had earlier informed lawmakers that approximately $5.6 billion worth of munitions were used within just the first two days of the conflict, according to reports by U.S. media. The rapid consumption of weapons and military resources reflects a spending pace far higher than earlier public estimates.
Meanwhile, the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated that the first 100 hours of the military campaign, known as Operation Epic Fury, cost about $3.7 billion, translating to more than $891 million per day.
CSIS also noted that roughly $3.5 billion of those expenses had not been previously budgeted, highlighting the unexpected financial burden created by the conflict.
Further estimates from the Iran War Cost Tracker website, which monitors the financial impact of the conflict in real time, placed the total U.S. spending at over $17 billion as of around 08:00 GMT on Thursday.
According to the tracker, the United States is currently spending about $1 billion per day on the war.
However, analysts warn that the true financial impact is likely to be far higher, as current estimates do not account for long-term obligations such as veterans’ healthcare, equipment replacement, and other post-conflict costs that typically follow major military operations.
ELIJAH ADEYEMI
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