The United States’s war on Iran that began on February 28 has costed $25 billion so far, according to a senior Pentagon official. Providing the first official estimate of military spending of the US, officials said that most of this was used to fund ammunition.
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The war, which began with the US and Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, has continued for over eight weeks without any immediate solution. The peace talks between the two sides have failed to reach a common ground despite internventions from several countries.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with Tehran’s latest proposal.
Jules Hurst, who is performing the duties of the comptroller, told lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee that most of that money was for munitions, Reuters reported.
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Hurst did not detail what that cost estimate included and whether it took into account the projected costs of rebuilding and repairing base infrastructure in the Middle East damaged in the conflict.
This development comes at a time when only six months are left before the mid-term elections, in which Trump’s Republicans may face an uphill battle to keep their House majority. Meanwhile, democrats are riding high in public opinion polls as they attempt to link the unpopular Iran war with affordability.
Top Democrat on the House Adam Smith responded to Hurst, saying, “I’m glad you answered that question, because we’ve been asking for a hell of a long time, and no one’s given us the number,” he was quoted as saying.
On February 28 this year, US-Israel carried out strikes on Iran, after which Iran resorted to attacking US military bases, with the war spreading across the Middle East. Both sides are currently maintaining a fragile ceasefire. The Pentagon has poured tens of thousands of additional forces into the Middle East, including keeping three aircraft carriers in the region.
Thirteen US troops have reportedly been killed in the conflict, and hundreds have been wounded.
Downfall in Trump’s popularity amid war
The war has also led to the disruptions of global energy supplies and shipments of oil after the choking of the Strait of Hormuz. All this has caused a run-up in US gasoline prices and agricultural products such as fertilisers, on top of the long list of other high consumer prices.
Meanwhile, Trump’s popularity has taken a beating with just 34% of Americans approving of the US conflict with Iran, down from 36% in mid-April and 38% in mid-March, according to a recent Reuters poll.
(With input from Reuters)
