Iran war has cost $45.1 billion, Pentagon tells Congress
Annie Grayer,
Lauren Fox
CNN
F/A-18 Super Hornets stand ready for launch on the flight deck of U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington, en route to support U.S. military operations in the war with Iran, while operating in the Indian Ocean August 18, 2026.
US Navy/Handout/Reuters
The US war with Iran has cost $45.1 billion, the Pentagon informed Congress on Friday, according to one source familiar with the matter.
The department told lawmakers that war costs were $43.6 billion as of September 3 plus an additional $1.5 billion for extra fuel, the source added.
The estimate is not a full accounting of the war’s cost, however.
It does not include an assessment of the cost to repair damaged bases or buildings and did not provide Congress with detailed breakdowns of indirect costs of military operations as lawmakers have asked for, the source said.
The $45.1 billion cost estimate from the Pentagon surpasses the
$38 billion price tag the Congressional Budget Office projected the war cost through August 1, and comes after the Pentagon estimated
$37.5 billion as the bill for the war in July.