Pentagon Estimate Puts the Iran War's Cost at $47.1 Billion, Up $9.6 Billion in Three Months

WASHINGTON — 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 figure is roughly $9.6 billion higher than the $37.5 billion Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave lawmakers about three months ago.

Most of the money goes to replacing weapons already fired. CENTCOM puts munitions replacement at about $29 billion. Replacing lost equipment accounts for another $6.1 billion, and roughly $11.9 billion covers incremental costs such as support for American service members. The total does not include damage to U.S. military bases in the Middle East, many of which were hit by Iranian drones and missiles.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated last month that the war could cost $2 billion to $3 billion for every month it continues, largely because of the need to replace interceptor missiles used against Iranian attacks. The CBO warned that costs could climb during tit-for-tat exchanges between the two countries. Those exchanges were frequent over the summer but have been quiet in recent weeks.

The conflict, which began in February, enters its ninth month this week and its future is uncertain. President Donald Trump has suggested he could resume hostilities after the midterm elections if Iran does not agree to a deal. At a Florida rally last week he told supporters, 'We may do another little Epic Fury, or they'll agree.'

The spending is also raising questions about the military's stockpiles. The Pentagon's inspector general said last month that the United States faces 'strategic inventory shortfalls' because of the number of munitions expended, and the Defense Department is working to speed up production. The Trump administration has rejected the idea of shortages. In early September, Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. has 'virtually unlimited amounts of Mid to High Grade Ammunition, far more than we could ever use.'

Congress has not yet acted on the money. Earlier this year the administration asked for tens of billions of dollars in supplemental military funding, partly to cover the Iran war, and lawmakers have not approved the request. Democrats have pressed Hegseth for a more detailed accounting of the war's costs and sent him a letter on the matter. CBS News said it asked the Pentagon for comment.

The new number lands in the final week of a midterm campaign in which the war, and the high gasoline prices that have accompanied it, have weighed on Republicans. A cost that has grown by nearly a quarter in a quarter of a year, with the bill for damaged bases still uncounted, gives Democrats a fresh figure to run against and gives the administration another reason to explain what the money has bought.