 The cost of the US  war against Iran has risen to at least USD 47.1 billion as of mid-October, according to a U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) estimate provided to lawmakers, with the bulk of the spending attributed to replacing expended munitions.
The cost has increased by more than USD 3 billion since last month, as President Trump weighs launching strikes against the Islamic Republic following the US midterm elections.
The October 16 estimate puts munition replacement costs at about USD 29 billion, while another USD 6.1 billion is allocated to replacing lost military equipment. Nearly USD 11.9 billion has been earmarked for incremental costs associated with military operations, according to reports by US media outlets.
The estimate does not include the cost of repairing damage to US military bases in the Middle East, many of which have been targeted by Iranian drones and missiles.
The latest figure marks an increase from an earlier Pentagon estimate of about USD 43.6 billion in early September. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had put the cost at about USD 37.5 billion three months earlier, excluding damage to US bases.
The Congressional Budget Office said last month that the conflict could cost USD 2 billion to USD 3 billion a month for as long as it continues, partly because of the need to replenish interceptor missiles used to defend against Iranian attacks.The war has also raised concerns about US military stockpiles. The Pentagon’s inspector general said last month that the military faced “strategic inventory shortfalls” because of the volume of munitions used during the conflict, prompting efforts to accelerate production.
The Trump administration has disputed concerns about ammunition shortages. President Donald Trump said in early September that the United States has “virtually unlimited amounts” of medium- to high-grade ammunition.
CENTCOM has drawn up options for further strikes against Iran if authorised by the White House, according to earlier media reports. Trump has suggested that military action could resume after next month’s US midterm elections if Tehran does not agree to a deal.
Speaking at a rally in Texas on Tuesday, Trump said the United States is “making an absolute fortune because of the situation” in the Middle East and predicted that the war would “end very soon”.
The conflict has also imposed costs on American households. Moody’s Analytics estimated that the war had cost the average US household about USD 2,000 so far.
The Trump administration earlier sought tens of billions of dollars in additional military funding from Congress, partly to cover costs associated with the war. The request has yet to be approved, while Democrats have pressed Hegseth to provide a more detailed accounting of the conflict’s expenses.
