Iran war has cost $47 billion, U.S. military says

The war with Iran has cost the U.S. military at least $47.1 billion as of mid-October, according to a new estimate from U.S. Central Command obtained by CBS News.

The bulk of the war’s price tag is the cost of replacing expended munitions, which CENTCOM pegged at around $29 billion, according to the latest estimate, which was provided to lawmakers. The military also tallied $6.1 billion to replace lost equipment and around $11.9 billion in incremental costs like support for American service members.

The estimate does not include the cost of damage to U.S. military bases in the Middle East, many of which were targeted by Iranian drones and missiles.

By comparison, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers three months ago the war had cost around $37.5 billion, not including damaged U.S. bases.

The Congressional Budget Office said last month the war could cost $2 billion to $3 billion per month for as long as it continues, in part due to the need to replace interceptor missiles to defend against Iranian attacks. That cost could rise during tit-for-tat exchanges between the U.S. and Iran, which were common over the summer but have been quiet in recent weeks.   

CBS News has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.

The Iran war will enter its ninth month this week, and the conflict’s future is unclear. President Trump has suggested he might restart hostilities with Iran after next month’s midterm elections unless Iran agrees to a deal. “We may do another little Epic Fury, or they’ll agree,” he told supporters during a rally in Florida last week.

The Pentagon’s inspector general said last month the U.S. is facing “strategic inventory shortfalls” due to the number of munitions expended during the war, leading the Defense Department to work to speed up production. The Trump administration has argued the military isn’t facing shortages, with Mr. Trump saying in early September, “we have virtually unlimited amounts of Mid to High Grade Ammunition, far more than we could ever use.”

The administration asked Congress to approve tens of billions of dollars in supplemental military funding earlier this year, in part due to the Iran war. That request has not yet passed, and Democrats have pressed Hegseth for a more detailed accounting of the war’s cost.