The cost of the Iran war
The Pentagon told Congress Friday that the US war with Iran has cost $45.1 billion - $43.6 billion in war costs as of September 3 plus $1.5 billion in additional fuel expenses, according to CNN sources familiar with the briefing. The figure doesn't include the cost of repairing damaged bases and buildings, and the Pentagon didn't give lawmakers the detailed breakdown of indirect operational costs they had requested. It surpasses the Congressional Budget Office's own $38 billion estimate through August 1 (which also excluded repair costs and was driven mostly by munitions spending) and the Pentagon's own prior $37.5 billion estimate from July; the CBO expects costs to keep running $2-3 billion a month going forward, higher during periods of escalated fighting, and separately told Congress the war is expected to push up inflation in the first quarter of 2027.
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19 September 2026
- Cost of Iran War Estimated at $43.6 Billion New York Times
- How much has Iran war cost US? Pentagon estimates US$43.6 billion so far South China Morning Post