US military spending on Iran conflict hits billions

WASHINGTON: The US military’s operations against Iran have already cost billions of dollars, with munitions expenditure reaching $5.6 billion to $6bn in just the opening days of the conflict, multiple news outlets reported.

According to reports, these estimates were shared with Congress on Monday, though the Pentagon declined to comment publicly on the figures.

reported that Pentagon officials informed lawmakers that the first week of operations cost roughly $6bn, with around $4bn spent on munitions and missile interceptors.

While Pentagon officials have not commented publicly on the 10-day projections, the steep early expenditure has raised concerns among lawmakers over the rapid depletion of munitions stockpiles and the broader budgetary impact of prolonged operations.

The conflict, which began on February 28, has already placed historic financial pressures on US military resources, highlighting the high cost of modern, technology-intensive warfare.

The first 100 hours (H+100) of the operation are estimated to cost $3.7bn.

A table released by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) breaks down the costs into three categories:

• Operational costs — approximately $196m
• Munitions replacement — approximately $3.1bn
• Replacing combat losses and repairing infrastructure damage — approximately $359m