Costs could rise by $2-3 billion a month or higher if the fighting escalates, the Congressional Budget Office has cautioned
The US war with Iran cost the Pentagon approximately $38 billion in its first five months, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The bill could rise by another $2 billion to $3 billion for every additional month of fighting – and by more if hostilities intensify.
In a report released on Tuesday, the CBO estimated Defense Department expenses from the start of US combat operations on February 28 through August 1. The figure includes the estimated cost of replacing expended munitions and equipment lost in battle, as well as additional flying hours, military operations, and higher fuel costs.
The office said its estimate was “subject to considerable uncertainty” because the Pentagon did not provide the requested information, forcing analysts to rely on government databases and publicly available reports. The estimate also excludes the cost of repairing damaged US bases, military casualties, future veterans’ care, and expenses borne by other federal agencies.
Another month of conflict would cost about $2 billion if violence remains at the “low and sporadic” levels seen in May and June, the CBO estimated. If operations return to their July intensity, the monthly bill would rise to about $3 billion. Costs could be higher still if the conflict escalates further.
Billions of dollars’ worth of US weaponry has been used up in the conflict. The CBO estimates that replacing munitions used through August 1 would cost $21.7 billion, including $7.3 billion for land-attack cruise missiles, $13.1 billion for missile-defense interceptors and $1.2 billion for other weapons.
The Trump administration asked Congress in June for $87.6 billion in supplemental funding, including $67.1 billion for the Defense Department. The CBO assessed that $42.3 billion of the overall request appeared directly related to the Iran war.
The report was released as CBS News published photographs showing extensive damage caused by Iranian missile and drone strikes on US positions across the Middle East. The images were provided anonymously by active-duty service members because of military restrictions on contact with the media.
“This is major damage to our bases that hasn’t been communicated to the American public,” one deployed service member told CBS News.
The photographs showed a destroyed E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, along with damaged buildings and burned-out vehicles at US facilities in Kuwait.
The Pentagon inspector general separately reported that US forces had suffered $3.7 billion in equipment losses through late June. Nearly 60 manned and unmanned aircraft were damaged or destroyed, according to the watchdog.
Trump said last month that the conflict was costing the United States “relatively little.” His remark came as fighting continued, despite his repeated declarations of victory. Trump proclaimed “total and complete victory” in early April and has since repeatedly claimed that Washington won or was close to ending the conflict.
The war has faced mounting domestic opposition and criticism over the administration’s decision to conduct hostilities without congressional authorization. The House voted for a third time this week to limit US military involvement, approving a war-powers resolution by 220 votes to 204. Seven Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the measure.
Separately, International IDEA reported that key measures of US democracy have fallen to their lowest levels in 50 years. The organization said the Trump administration’s actions had weakened the rule of law both domestically and internationally, while warning more broadly that democratic erosion increases the risk of conflict.
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