US Cost of Iran War Passes $47 Billion: Restocking Munitions May Need Another $29 Billion

The United States' military cost in the ongoing war against Iran has passed $47 billion. According to the Pentagon's latest calculation, the cost of the war has risen by more than 25 percent compared with the estimate given last July.

This information was reported on Wednesday (28 October) in a report by the international news agency Reuters. The Pentagon's latest calculation on the cost of the war has not yet been made public. The US defence department did not immediately respond when contacted for comment on the matter.

According to the Pentagon's calculation, beyond the war's operating costs, more than $29 billion may be needed to replenish the stocks of weapons and ammunition that have been used. In addition, more than another $6 billion may be spent on replacing military equipment and making up for aircraft and other military equipment lost in the war. Many drones are also among the lost equipment.

The report said that several tens of billions of dollars more may be needed to replenish the stocks of weapons and ammunition and to replace damaged military equipment.

On 3 November, the United States holds its congressional midterm elections. Ahead of the election, the ruling Republican Party is under political pressure over the impact of the unpopular Iran war. This election will determine control of Congress for the next two years.

As fuel prices have risen in the world market under the impact of the war, public support for Republican candidates has fallen. At the same time, there has been a negative impact on President Donald Trump's popularity. The Republicans currently hold a narrow majority in both houses of Congress.

Last February, Trump started the war in Iran jointly with Israel. At that time he had indicated that the conflict would not be prolonged. At the start of the war, the United States used expensive, state-of-the-art precision missiles to destroy Iran's defence systems. Later, the plan was to use comparatively less expensive weapons, especially air-dropped JDAM guided bombs. The United States also has adequate stocks of these weapons.

However, the situation changed after a ceasefire took effect in April. Iran got time in this pause to recover weapons and equipment from underground weapons storage centres. As a result, some of the country's defence systems, missiles and drones became usable again.

After that, Trump imposed a naval blockade on Iran to stop its income from oil exports. At the same time, he has spoken of the possibility of starting military operations again after the midterm elections. Several US officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, have said the Pentagon is preparing to launch a large-scale military operation if ordered.

Last July, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had estimated the US cost of the Iran war at $37.5 billion. In the latest calculation, it has passed $47 billion.

The cost of the war includes various activities from flight operations to cyber support. However, it is not known whether the potentially huge cost of repairing US military bases damaged by Iran's missile and drone attacks has been clearly included in this calculation.