'Pentagon': Cost of War with Iran Exceeds $47 Billion - Sarmad
The Pentagon revealed that the cost of war with Iran has exceeded $47 billion, impacting Trump's and Republicans' popularity ahead of the elections.
Translated by Qiyas from سرمد — Original source
Data released by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Pentagon, showed that the military has spent more than $47 billion so far to manage the war in Iran, an increase of more than 25 percent compared to the ministry’s estimate in July, according to Reuters.
The revelation of the rising cost of the war in Iran comes as Republicans face political repercussions from the conflict, which enjoys no popularity ahead of the midterm elections on November 3 that will determine which party controls Congress for the next two years.
The war has affected global energy costs, leading to a decline in support for Republican candidates and damaging the popularity of President Donald Trump. Trump’s Republican Party holds a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress.
The Pentagon’s latest estimate showed that the operational cost of the war included more than $29 billion to replace ammunition consumed during the conflict.
Replacing military equipment and what are known as platform losses will require more than $6 billion; this includes the loss of aircraft, including many drones lost during the war.
Trump launched the war against Iran in February in coordination with Israel, expecting the conflict to be short-lived.
Trump’s initial strategy in the Iran war focused on using advanced, expensive precision missiles to strike Iranian defenses, enabling later use of less costly munitions, such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), which are air-dropped and widely available.
However, a ceasefire in April gave Iran time to reopen underground storage facilities, restart some of its defenses, and access previously unreachable missiles and drones.
Since then, Trump has imposed a naval blockade on Iran to deprive it of oil export revenues, and hinted at resuming combat operations after the midterms. U.S. officials, who requested anonymity, said the Pentagon intends to resume intense fighting if ordered to do so.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in July that estimates indicated the cost of the Iran war had reached $37.5 billion.
Although the estimates cover multiple operational costs, including air sorties and electronic support, they do not clearly reflect the significant expected cost of repairing damage to U.S. bases resulting from Iranian missile and drone attacks.
