US Congress Warns Iran Conflict Drains Precision Missile Stocks and Inflates National Debt
Photo: Collected
The United States has spent 38 billion dollars on the conflict with Iran over the past six months, with monthly expenditures projected to increase by an additional 3 billion dollars, according to an assessment by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
The financial disclosure emerges as the Trump administration explores avenues to end the hostilities and reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz. The CBO estimates that the spending incurred through August 1 could drive up U.S. inflation by 0.5 percent in the first three months of 2027. The escalating costs have strained U.S. weapons and ammunition stockpiles while driving up fuel prices, raising concerns regarding the nation's readiness for other potential conflicts and placing additional pressure on an already tight federal budget.
The 38 billion dollar figure closely aligns with the 37.5 billion dollar estimate provided by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a U.S. Senate hearing on July 21. The CBO reported that the vast majority of the expenditure was consumed by rapidly depleting ammunition reserves. Restoring U.S. military stockpiles to previous levels could take approximately five years. A previous report indicated that the U.S. has exhausted nearly its entire inventory of long-range precision missiles during the campaign, and the CBO noted that the Department of Defense failed to cooperate with congressional financial auditors.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly defended the military actions ordered by President Donald Trump in Iran as a decisive step to protect American personnel and interests. She asserted that the military maintains sufficient ammunition and equipment reserves to fulfill all of the President's strategic objectives and operational requirements. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell similarly rejected reports of ammunition shortages, maintaining that the department is fully prepared to strike whenever and wherever directed by the President.
The cost investigation was conducted at the request of Representative Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee. In a statement, Boyle criticized the intervention, stating that the conflict has claimed the lives of brave American service members and injured many others. Beyond the human toll, Boyle said the CBO report makes it clear that the war is draining hundreds of billions of dollars from American taxpayers with costs continuing to mount.
The Trump administration has acknowledged that 18 U.S. military personnel have been killed in the conflict so far. The CBO figures do not include the costs of recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, strikes on U.S. military installations in the region, or interest expenses on debt incurred to finance the operations, which could add billions more to the overall total.
