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As the US-Israel war on Iran continues to escalate, questions have been raised about how much it is costing Washington.<\/p>\n
Late last week, two congressional sources told<\/a> US broadcaster MS NOW that the war is costing the United States an estimated $1bn a day. A day later, Politico reported<\/a> that US Republicans on Capitol Hill privately fear the Pentagon is spending close to $2bn a day on the war.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n Congress\u2019s House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference last week that President Donald Trump is \u201cplunging America into another endless conflict in the Middle East\u201d and \u201cspending billions of dollars to bomb Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cBut they can\u2019t find a dime to make it more affordable for the American people to go see a doctor when they need one,\u201d he said. \u201cCan\u2019t find a dime to make it easier for Americans who are working hard to purchase their first home. And they can\u2019t find a dime to lower the grocery bills of the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump, who won the 2024 presidential election largely on promises to reduce the cost of living, has seen his popularity plummet. A Reuters\/Ipsos poll, conducted hours after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, sparking region-wide retaliation, now shows dismal approval for the war from the US public as well.<\/p>\n The Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, has not released an official estimate of the cost of the war yet, but the soaring costs are unlikely to go down well with voters, analysts say, months before the midterm elections.<\/p>\n To seek clarity on the actual cost of the war, Representative Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, has asked the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to analyse the exact cost of the war.<\/p>\n As the Trump administration prepares to ask Congress for more money to fund the war this week, here\u2019s what we know about how much the war is costing the US each day.<\/p>\n In a formal letter sent on March 5, Boyle asked the CBO to analyse \u201cthe operational, logistical, and sustainment costs of the war in Iran, including any additional direct or indirect costs associated with the use of military forces for this purpose\u201d.<\/p>\n He also asked the CBO to estimate \u201cother types of additional costs\u201d that might be involved in the war with Iran, like \u201cdiplomatic operations and foreign aid costs\u201d. Additionally, he wants the CBO to analyse \u201copportunity costs\u201d such as how the cost of a US response to potential Chinese aggression would be affected by \u201cmoving an aircraft carrier from near Taiwan to off the coast of Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n In his letter, Boyle said \u201cthe effect on prices from the economic disruption caused by the war in Iran\u201d should be analysed.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease conduct this analysis under several scenarios, including scenarios of the war lasting longer than 4 to 5 weeks and deploying US troops on the ground in Iran,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n While the CBO has yet to release an analysis of the cost of the war, the US media have begun reporting estimates of how much Washington\u2019s military campaign against Iran has cost the country so far. There have been varying estimates.<\/p>\n On Saturday, according to The New York Times, Pentagon officials told Congress that the first week of the war cost the US $6bn.<\/p>\n Earlier, on Thursday, two US congressional sources told MS NOW that the war with Iran is costing the US nearly $1bn a day. The next day, Politico reported that US Republicans privately feared the Pentagon was spending close to $2bn a day on the war.<\/p>\n Some of the equipment the US is using is extremely expensive, reports suggest. In particular, the US interceptor missiles being used to bring down Iranian missiles can cost millions of dollars for each one fired, analysts say.<\/p>\n Kent Smetters, director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model (PWBM), told Al Jazeera the war could cost the US $2bn per day in the early stages, but is unlikely to remain that high over the longer term.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter the first few days, we think it is closer to $800m per day. But $2bn per day on a sustained basis seems very hard to believe, even with modern equipment that generally costs a bit more. Of course, these numbers could change if we get significant personnel build-up; right now, at most, that\u2019s at least a few months away,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n John Phillips, a British safety, security and risk adviser and a former military chief instructor, agreed. \u201cBottom line, the war likely costs about $1bn per day, not $2bn, though spikes may reach that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A former British military official, who requested anonymity, told Al Jazeera that for the US, \u201chaving assets in the Middle East region besides permanent bases\u201d has increased costs significantly.<\/p>\n Since early February, the US has amassed a vast array of military assets in the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran.<\/p>\n According to open-source intelligence analysts and military flight-tracking data, since early February, the US appears to have deployed more than 120 aircraft to the region \u2013 the largest surge in US airpower in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq War.<\/p>\n The reported deployments include E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, F-35 stealth strike fighters and F-22 air superiority jets, alongside F-15s and F-16s. Flight-tracking data shows many departing bases in the US and Europe, supported by cargo aircraft and aerial refuelling tankers, a sign of sustained operational planning rather than routine rotations.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo carrier groups with information have said they [the US] will be sending more,\u201d the military official said, adding that he is not certain if these additional military assets are being sent as a source of relief for the US or because Washington is increasing its presence for an overlapping time before the swap due to maintenance and resupply taking place.<\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n
What has Boyle asked the CBO to do?<\/h2>\n
How much is the war costing the US each day?<\/h2>\n
Why is the war costing the US so much?<\/h2>\n
What is the money being spent on?<\/h2>\n