US spending on the war against Iran exceeds 38 billion by September

Odata from the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), responsible for operations in the Middle East, present the most up-to-date cost of the conflict since it was initiated by the United States and Israel on 28 February.

A report from the Budgetary Office of Congress (CBO), released on Tuesday, indicated that the war had cost $38 billion by August and would continue to generate expenses of about $3 billion monthly, but the new estimate shows that between this month and September the increase was almost twice that, according to the Associated Press.

Arms spending has jumped more than $6 billion in just over a month, from USD 21.7 billion — a figure referred to in the CBO report — to USD 28.1 billion in the CENTCOM estimate.

The report presented to Congress includes the operating costs of warships, aircraft and bases, as well as expenses for the loss of equipment and medical assistance to troops.

The report does not include the damage suffered by bases in the Middle East, which the Islamic Republic attacked with ballistic missiles and drones.

A report by the Pentagon inspector-general, released on Monday, pointed out that Iranian attacks damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and other structures on U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan.

In the new report sent to Congress, the amount of ammunition was by far the highest, representing well over half of all costs. The most sought-after advanced weapons are defensive missile interceptors, such as those launched by the Army's Patriot and THAAD systems.

The financial cost is only one of the dimensions of the impact of the war on Iran, which also affects oil prices and the stock exchange, as well as causing deaths and injuries among US troops. Political costs will be measured in mid-term legislative elections in November with Republicans facing increasing difficulties due to the unpopularity of the conflict.

The CBO stated that war is expected to contribute to inflation by the first quarter of 2027, raising it by about 0.5 percentage points above previous estimates.

These estimated results are largely due to the reduction of shipments of oil and natural gas through the Strait of Ormuz and the disruptions in maritime transport through the Red Sea.

The White House requested, in June, additional funding of $87,6 billion, mainly for the war effort, but Congress has not yet approved the request.

The CBO reported that the portion of this request apparently directly related to the conflict, $42.3 billion, is about 10% higher than the body’s own estimate for the Pentagon’s costs.

The Department of Defense refused to access the request for information from the CBO for the preparation of the report, breaking with the usual practices.

A report by the Pentagon inspector-general released on Monday pointed out that the war resulted in “strategic deficiencies in the reserves”.