Pentagon says Iran war has cost US taxpayers $47bn: What that means
With five days to go before the US midterms, analysts say the war could affect how people vote.
The Pentagon has told lawmakers in the United States that the war on Iran has cost American taxpayers at least $47.1bn so far.
The estimate, disclosed last week, comes just days before the November 3 midterm elections, which will determine if US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party will maintain control of Congress for the next two years.
In a statement on Wednesday the Pentagon also said it had “successfully obligated 97.5 percent” of the funds Trump provided the department. Last July, Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA) outlining tax and spending plans, which came into effect earlier this year.
It is also higher than the $37.5bn price tag that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave in July this year. Hegseth confirmed this amount during a hearing before the Senate appropriations committee and added that the cost covered some operations and maintenance extending through to the end of September.