Iran war costs US $33.4bn, drains munitions

The operation, launched on February 28, aims to destroy Iran’s nuclear, missile, naval and security infrastructure.

Of the total cost recorded through June 30, $22.3 billion was attributed to expended munitions, $7.4 billion to contingency operations and $3.7 billion to equipment losses.

“The munitions expenditure on OEF has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply,” the report said.

The watchdog noted that the full cost remains “difficult to calculate” because Congress did not allocate funding specifically for Operation Epic Fury. The military services instead redirected money originally intended for activities including training and maintenance.

The campaign also resulted in extensive equipment losses. According to the report, as many as 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones were destroyed, while four F-15E fighter aircraft were lost. An F-35A, seven KC-135 tanker aircraft and other military assets were damaged.

Iranian strikes damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan. The report did not provide a complete estimate of the cost of repairing those facilities.

The US State Department also spent $79.2 million on evacuations and other contingencies related to the conflict. Repairing damage to US diplomatic facilities in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE is expected to cost approximately $184 million.

The Inspector General said US Central Command had “continued to refine and adjust” the operation’s mission after it began. The full mission statement remains classified.

US officials have described the campaign’s broader objective as seeking to “disrupt, degrade, deny, and destroy Iran’s ability to conduct and sustain combat operations.”

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down after 18 months in office.