The U.S. military has so far spent more than $47 billion on the war with Iran, according to Pentagon data obtained Wednesday by Reuters. The figure is 25% higher than the Defense Department’s July estimates.
The latest Pentagon figures cover the operational costs of waging the war, with the projected cost of replenishing expended munitions put at $29 billion.
Reuters added that more than $6 billion will be needed to replace military equipment and cover so-called platform losses, meaning losses resulting from the destruction or serious damage of weapons systems and combat equipment, known as combat platforms, including combat aircraft and drones.
In July, the Pentagon estimated that Washington had spent $37.5 billion on the war in the Middle East, Reuters recalled.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel launched the war against Iran on Feb. 28, which led, among other things, to further destabilization in the Middle East. As a result of the conflict, the global energy market has been in crisis for months, and energy prices have risen drastically because Tehran blocked the Strait of Hormuz.
The information about the cost of the war with Iran emerged just days before the U.S. midterm elections, in which Republicans and Trump himself are grappling with the political consequences of the conflict.
Trump and Israel began the war saying that one of its goals was to destroy Iran’s nuclear program and to try to force regime change in Tehran, while also hoping the fighting would not last long. (PAP)
