WASHINGTON – The $25 billion estimate that a top Pentagon official gave to lawmakers for the total cost of the Iran war to date is a lowball figure that does not include repairing extensive damage suffered by US bases in the region, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
One source said the real cost estimate is closer to $40-50 billion when accounting for rebuilding US military installations and replacing destroyed assets.
What Iranian strikes destroyed
In the early days of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran – a conflict critics say violates the UN Charter, as it was not authorized by the Security Council nor justified as self-defense – Iranian strikes across the Gulf significantly damaged at least nine US military sites in just 48 hours, CNN has reported.
The strikes hit facilities in:
- Bahrain
- Kuwait
- Iraq
- United Arab Emirates
- Qatar
Specific assets destroyed
- Radar system for a US THAAD missile battery in Jordan
- Buildings housing radar systems at two locations in the UAE
- A US Air Force E-3 Sentry aircraft destroyed at a Saudi Arabia air base
What the Pentagon says
Jules “Jay” Hurst III, the Pentagon comptroller, told the House Armed Services Committee that “most” of the $25 billion cost he cited has been spent on munitions. He acknowledged the Pentagon does not “have a final number for what the damage is to our installations overseas,” and it depends “on how we decide to rebuild those, or if we do.”
He noted the cost to repair those facilities is “not reflected” in the Pentagon’s $1.5 trillion budget request for fiscal year 2027.
The budget request
The Pentagon has asked for $1.5 trillion for fiscal year 2027 – a 42 percent increase in Defense Department funding.
Congressional skepticism
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna was skeptical of the $25 billion estimate, calling it “totally off” during Wednesday’s hearing.
