First 6 days of war cost US $11.3 billion, says Trump administration
US-Iran war costs have reached $11.3 billion in the first six days, with officials warning the overall expenditure will rise as the conflict continues.
The cost of the United States’s war with Iran in just six days is estimated to have been at least 11.3 billion USD, reported news agency Reuters. These estimates were shared in a closed briefing with Pentagon officials.
However, the estimate covers only the initial cost of the war excluding resources invested in personnel buildup and military hardware ahead of the strike, reported news website The New York Times.
March 12 marks the thirteenth day of war between the United States-Israel and Iran. The war began on February 28 with joint US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets.
Cost of the war expected to go up, say officials
The actual cost of the war is expected to go up considerably as the Pentagon continues to calculate the cumulative expenses of the first week. As per a report by the New York Times and the Washington Post, the US military used 5.6 billion USD in the first two days of war. This is a much higher expenditure estimate than what was disclosed publicly.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies had estimated that the first 100 hours of the operation cost 3.7 billion USD, that is, 891.4 million USD per day, reports the New York Times.
The first wave of bombardment on Iran by the US used weapons including the AGM-154 glide bomb that can cost up to 8,36,000 USD. The US Navy had purchased 3,000 such bombs two decades ago.
US–Iran War: Cost & Economic Impact Tracker
Live DataUpdated: Loading…↻ GDP data refreshes every 5 min
Estimated US War Spend Since Conflict Began$120,000,000,000↑ Ticking in real-time · Est. $2,500/sec burn rate · Based on RAND Corp Iraq-war pace model · Baseline: $120B Year-1 floor
US DoD Budget FY25$895BUSASpending.gov · Live
World GDP$105TWorld Bank · Latest yr
India GDP$3.6TWorld Bank · Latest yr
5yr War Cost Est.$1–4TRAND · Stimson
Filter:
US Military & War Expenditure
Live
US DoD FY2025 BudgetUSASpending.gov
$895B
Fact
Iraq + Afghan Wars Total (20yr)US Dept of Defense
$2.2T
RAND
Annual Ops Cost — Year 1RAND Corporation
$50–100B
CBO
5-Year Cost: Base ScenarioRAND / CBO Models
~$500B
Scenario
5-Year Cost: Full EscalationStimson Center
$1T–$4T
Global Economic Exposure
Live
World GDP (Latest Year)World Bank Open API
$105T
Live
US GDP (Latest Year)World Bank Open API
$27T
EIA
Hormuz: Share of Global OilUS Energy Info. Admin.
20–21%
IEA
Oil Price Shock if Hormuz BlockedIEA Energy Security Report
+$40–80/bbl
IMF
Global GDP at Risk (extreme shock)IMF World Economic Outlook
−1.5–3%
IMF
Global Inflation SurgeIMF / Brookings Institution
+2–4pp
India: Direct Economic Exposure
Live
India GDP (Latest Year)World Bank Open API
$3.6T
IEA
India Oil Import DependenceIEA / Min. of Petroleum
85%
Fact
Annual Oil Import BillMinistry of Petroleum, India
~$140B
RBI
Extra War Oil Cost (Year 1)RBI / World Bank India
+$30–50B
RBI
India GDP Impact — Oil StressRBI Energy Stress Model
−0.5–1%
RBI
Gulf Remittances at RiskRBI Annual Report 2024
~$40B
Live — Gov API
Fact — verified
Projected — research model
Scenario — extreme case
Live APIs (no key required): USASpending.gov (US DoD FY2025 budget) · World Bank Open Data (GDP — World, US, India). Research: RAND Corp · IMF WEO · IEA · EIA Hormuz Brief · Stimson Center · Brookings · RBI Annual Report 2024. War counter: editorial simulation at RAND Iraq-war burn rate ($2,500/sec).
Congress may have to approve additional funding for the war
It is expected that the members of the Congress may soon have to approve additional funding for the war. Some of the members have expressed concern that the conflict will deplete US military stocks at a time when the defence industry was already struggling to keep up with demand, reported Reuters.
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Trump met executives from seven defence contractors last week as the Pentagon worked to replenish supplies.
In a speech as he opened the US Senate on Tuesday, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, called on administration officials to appear before Congress.
“When it comes to sending our servicemembers into harm’s way, the American people need to understand why. But right now, they don’t even have a ‘why.’ That needs to change,” Schumer said.
The strikes on Iran by the US and Israel began on February 28 and have killed around 2,000 people so far. Trump, on Tuesday, met executives from seven defense contractors last week as the Pentagon worked to replenish supplies, reported Reuters.
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