Cost Analysis — Updated March 27, 2026
How Much Has the Iran War Cost?
A Day-by-Day Breakdown of Operation Epic Fury
The Pentagon confirmed $11.3 billion spent in the first 6 days — $1.88 billion per day. CSIS estimated $16.5 billion through Day 12. On Day 19, the Pentagon requested $200 billion from Congress. This is the most expensive air campaign in American history.
The Numbers — 28 Days In
Sources: Pentagon press briefing (Mar 5), CSIS cost estimate (Mar 11), Congressional Budget Office preliminary assessment
What Things Cost: A Weapons Price List
Every missile, every sortie, every interceptor has a price tag. Here's what the US military is spending per unit in Operation Epic Fury — and how fast those costs add up when you're firing hundreds per day.
Tomahawk Cruise Missile (Block V)
$2.5M eachThe workhorse of the opening salvo. The Navy fired 200+ Tomahawks on Day 1 alone — that's $500 million in missiles in 24 hours. Block V variants include the Maritime Strike Tomahawk for anti-ship missions. Manufacturer: Raytheon. Current inventory estimated at 4,000 — the Pentagon is burning through stockpiles faster than they can be replaced.
Source: Congressional Research Service, "Tomahawk Cruise Missile Program" (2025)
JASSM-ER (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile)
$1.5M eachExtended-range stealth cruise missile launched from B-2s, B-1Bs, and F-15Es. Range of 575+ miles allows launch from outside Iranian air defense range. Estimated 50+ fired on Day 1 with B-2 strikes from Whiteman AFB. Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin. Stockpile concerns emerged by Day 10.
Source: USAF Weapons Program Office; Lockheed Martin FY2025 delivery data
B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Sortie
$4.5M/flight hourEach B-2 round-trip from Whiteman AFB, Missouri to Iran is approximately 30+ hours with aerial refueling — putting each sortie at $135 million or more. The USAF has only 19 operational B-2s. Multiple sorties were flown in the first week to deliver GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators ($3.5M each) against Natanz and Fordow nuclear facilities.
Source: USAF cost-per-flight-hour data (FY2025); GAO bomber sustainment report
SM-3 Block IIA Interceptor
$36M eachUsed to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles targeting US bases and Gulf allies. The Navy fired multiple SM-3s on Day 2 during Iran's retaliatory missile barrage. At $36 million per shot, a single salvo of 10 interceptors costs $360 million — and Iran has thousands of ballistic missiles. This is the math that keeps defense planners awake at night.
Source: Missile Defense Agency FY2025 budget; Raytheon/Aerojet Rocketdyne contract data
Carrier Strike Group Operations
$15M/day per groupThe US deployed 3 carrier strike groups to the region: USS Eisenhower (CVN-69), USS Lincoln (CVN-72), and USS Truman (CVN-75). Each group includes the carrier, a cruiser, destroyers, a submarine, and a supply ship. At $15M/day each, that's $45 million daily just to keep three carrier groups on station — before a single weapon is fired. Over 28 days: $1.26 billion in carrier ops alone.
Source: CBO, "The Cost of the Navy's Ship Plan" (2025); Navy budget justification documents
GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator
$3.5M eachThe 30,000-pound bunker buster — the only conventional weapon capable of reaching Iran's deeply buried Fordow enrichment facility. Only the B-2 can carry it (2 per aircraft). Each strike requires a $135M+ B-2 sortie plus the $3.5M bomb. The US has approximately 20 MOPs in inventory.
Source: USAF munitions program; Boeing defense contract filings
F-35A Lightning II Sortie
$42,000/flight hourThe Pentagon's most advanced fighter, used for SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) and strike missions. Hundreds of F-35 sorties flown from Al Udeid (Qatar) and Al Dhafra (UAE). At 6-8 hour missions, each sortie costs $250,000-$336,000 — before weapons are added. The F-35's maintenance burden means every flight hour requires 30+ hours of maintenance.
Source: GAO F-35 sustainment report (2025); DOD Selected Acquisition Report
Day-by-Day Cost Tracker
The following estimates combine Pentagon confirmed figures, CSIS analysis, and WarCosts.org projections based on known sortie rates, munitions expenditure, and operational tempo. Pentagon confirmed the $11.3B figure on Day 6; CSIS published $16.5B through Day 12. All other figures are estimates.
Initial strikes on 30+ targets. 200+ Tomahawks, 50+ JASSM-ERs, B-2 sorties from Whiteman AFB.
Expanded target list. Carrier air wings launch 300+ sorties. SM-3 intercepts of Iranian ballistic missiles.
Three-front war: Iran, Yemen, Lebanon. Friendly fire incident. Embassy defense operations.
Natanz strikes require bunker busters ($3.5M each). Qatar joins with F-15 sorties. AWS outage disrupts logistics.
B-2 bunker buster campaign intensifies. 30+ Iranian naval vessels sunk.
Pentagon confirms $11.3B spent. Mine-clearing ops in Hormuz begin ($2M/day).
Sustained air campaign. 5,000+ targets struck total. Refueling tanker fleet at max capacity.
Oil infrastructure strikes begin — Tondgouyan and Shahran refineries hit.
Shahed drone factory destroyed. Precision-guided munitions stockpile declining.
Bahrain refinery ablaze from Iranian retaliation. Force majeure declared.
16 Iranian minelayers destroyed. Minesweeping operations expand.
CSIS estimates $16.5B in direct military costs. Basij sites in Tehran targeted.
KC-135 crash in Iraq. Nuclear scientist targeted killings. Peace conditions issued.
Houthi Red Sea attacks intensify — 2 carrier groups diverted.
B-21 Raider first combat deployment (classified sortie cost est. $6M/hr).
Hezbollah front escalates — Israel requests US missile defense support.
Ammunition resupply flights from US mainland — C-17 fleet at surge capacity.
Dimona damage assessment. Iron Dome / Arrow resupply to Israel ($500M package).
Pentagon requests $200B supplemental from Congress. 10,000+ targets struck.
Minab school massacre — 168 children killed. International condemnation.
Note: These are estimates based on available data. The Pentagon has classified detailed cost breakdowns. The $11.3B figure for 6 days and $16.5B for 12 days are the only independently confirmed numbers. Daily estimates between confirmed data points are interpolated based on known operational tempo.
The Hidden Costs Nobody's Counting
🔧 Munitions Replacement
The US has fired an estimated 1,000+ Tomahawks, 300+ JASSM-ERs, and hundreds of other precision-guided munitions. Replacing these stockpiles will cost $8-12 billion and take 3-5 years. Raytheon produces roughly 400 Tomahawks per year. At current expenditure rates, the US is consuming a year's production in weeks. This "munitions deficit" was already a concern before the war — the Ukraine conflict had drawn down reserves significantly.
Source: CSIS Missile Defense Project; Raytheon annual production data
⛽ Fuel Costs
The US military is the world's single largest institutional consumer of fuel. A carrier strike group burns approximately 100,000 gallons of fuel per day. With 3 groups plus hundreds of daily aircraft sorties, estimated fuel consumption is 500,000+ gallons per day at elevated wartime prices. The irony: a war partly about oil is consuming massive quantities of it.
Source: DOD Operational Energy Strategy; Defense Logistics Agency fuel data
🏥 Long-term Veterans' Care
With 303 US service members wounded in 28 days, the long-term medical and disability costs are already building. The Costs of War Project at Brown University estimates that veterans' care for Iraq and Afghanistan will ultimately cost $2.2 trillion. Even with limited casualties so far, blast injuries, PTSD, and toxic exposure claims from Iran will add billions over the next 40 years.
Source: Brown University Costs of War Project; VA budget projections
📉 Economic Disruption
Oil prices have surged from ~$60 to $108+ per barrel — an 80% increase. Every $10 increase in oil prices costs the US economy approximately $70 billion per year in reduced GDP. A $48 increase means roughly $336 billion in annual economic drag on the US economy alone. The S&P 500 has lost over $3 trillion in market capitalization since the war began.
Source: Federal Reserve economic models; EIA price impact analysis; S&P market data
🌍 Allied Support & Reconstruction
The US is providing emergency missile defense to Israel ($500M package on Day 18), logistical support to Gulf allies, and naval escort operations for commercial shipping. When the war ends, reconstruction costs for Iran could dwarf Iraq's $60 billion reconstruction. With 70,000 homes damaged, 300 health facilities hit, and 600 schools destroyed, the eventual bill could exceed$100 billion.
Source: SIGAR Iraq reconstruction reports (for comparison); UN damage assessment methodology
How Does This Compare to Iraq and Afghanistan?
| Metric | Iran (First Month) | Iraq (First Month) | Afghanistan (First Month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Cost | $51.2B+ | ~$9B | ~$3.8B |
| Daily Burn Rate | $1.88B/day | ~$300M/day | ~$125M/day |
| Targets Struck | 10,000+ | ~1,700 | ~500 |
| Cruise Missiles Fired | 1,000+ | 802 | ~50 |
| Carrier Groups | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| Congressional Vote | None | Yes (296-133) | Yes (AUMF, 420-1) |
| Oil Price Impact | +80% ($108) | +35% ($37) | +15% |
Sources: CBO war cost reports; DOD budget justifications; EIA historical oil price data. Iraq first-month estimate based on CBO "Estimated Costs of a Potential Conflict With Iraq" (2003). Afghanistan data from DOD "Cost of War" quarterly reports.
The $200 Billion Request
On Day 19 (March 18), the Pentagon submitted a $200 billion supplemental funding request to Congress — the largest single wartime funding request in American history. For context:
- ▸The entire annual budget of the Department of Education is $90 billion
- ▸The annual budget for all US infrastructure spending is $110 billion
- ▸Total US spending on cancer research is $7 billion per year
- ▸$200 billion could fund free school lunches for every American child for 25 years
- ▸It equals roughly $600 for every person in America
Sources: OMB FY2026 budget; USDA school lunch program data; NIH budget office
Where Does This End? Projected Costs
For reference, the Iraq War cost $1.1 trillion in direct spending over 8 years, and an estimated $3 trillion including long-term veterans' care and interest on war debt (per Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz). Afghanistan cost $2.3 trillion over 20 years. Iran, with a military 3x the size of Saddam's Iraq and a country 4x larger, could make both look cheap.
Sources: CBO cumulative war cost reports; Stiglitz & Bilmes, "The Three Trillion Dollar War" (2008); Brown University Costs of War Project
Who Profits From a $200 Billion War?
Defense contractor stocks surged in the days following the start of Operation Epic Fury. Every Tomahawk fired is a Raytheon sale. Every B-2 sortie is Boeing maintenance revenue. Every interceptor launched is money for Lockheed Martin.
Source: NYSE/NASDAQ market data as of March 27, 2026
The Bottom Line
In 28 days, Operation Epic Fury has cost more than the entire first year of the Iraq War. At $1.88 billion per day, the US is spending more on this war every 53 seconds than the median American household earns in a year ($75,000). The $200 billion supplemental request — which hasn't even been voted on yet — would make this the most expensive military authorization in history, surpassing the $190 billion FY2008 Iraq/Afghanistan supplemental. And there is no end date, no exit strategy, and no congressional authorization.