The Pentagon has informed US lawmakers that the war on Iran has cost American taxpayers at least $47.1bn. The estimate was disclosed last week, only days before the November 3 midterm elections, which will decide whether President Donald Trump's Republican Party keeps control of Congress for the next two years.
The figure covers costs through October 16 and was shared with The New York Times by congressional officials. It includes a projected $29bn needed to replace munitions used so far, such as bombs, bullets and other military hardware. Since the war began on February 28, the US Air Force has spent $7.6bn on fighter and bomber units, the Navy $1.5bn on two dozen warships and aircraft carriers, and the Army $2.1bn to sustain troops in the Middle East. According to US Central Command, more than 50,000 American troops are stationed in the region.
Other items include $6.1bn to replace damaged aircraft and munitions, $645m for transport and support for commandos, and $24.5m for in-house medical support for service members. A congressional official said the US Transportation Command spent $92.2m moving equipment and the US Cyber Command spent $14m on cyber support operations. The estimate leaves out the cost of repairing damaged bases across the Middle East, as well as fuel for ships and aircraft.
The Pentagon has publicly acknowledged 18 US service member deaths. The Washington Post, citing six unnamed US officials, reported that the true toll is at least 22. The Pentagon's casualty database lists 865 military personnel wounded.
Estimates have climbed steadily. The Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst put the cost at $25bn in late April, and the administration gave a figure of $29bn in May. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cited $37.5bn at a Senate appropriations hearing in July, and the Congressional Budget Office forecast $38bn in September. The CBO also said the war could cost roughly $2bn to $3bn per month for as long as it continues. The Pentagon's inspector general warned last month of "strategic inventory shortfalls", though the administration denies its weapons stockpiles are running low.
Five Democratic senators wrote to Admiral Brad Cooper, head of Central Command, demanding the true cost be disclosed, according to USA Today. They described the administration's "ongoing efforts to hide the true cost of this war" as "outrageous and unacceptable". Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said families had been "buried by the heavy cost of Trump's disastrous war in Iran." Trump has not commented on the new estimate. At a Texas rally last week, he said the war would end "whenever I want it to end."
The war has also hit household budgets. Since early March, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, sending oil prices soaring. According to the American Automobile Association, the average price of a gallon of diesel in the US reached $6.35 on Wednesday, up from $3.75 last year. Higher fuel costs are also pushing up food prices, and the national debt has passed a record $40 trillion, two years earlier than expected.
Trump's approval rating has fallen to 33 percent, the lowest of either of his terms. RealClearPolling's national average shows Democrats leading Republicans 51.4 percent to 43.2 percent. Chris Featherstone, a political scientist at the University of York, told Al Jazeera the war undercuts Trump's promise of "no new wars" and his emphasis on fixing the economy. He said loyal MAGA voters will likely stay with Trump, but more peripheral supporters appear to be drifting away, with cost of living a major factor.
