The Iran War has cost Americans more than $170 billion, including hundreds of millions in military hardware destroyed by allies or intentionally blown up by the United States. Meanwhile, these expenses continue to mount as readers receive this report.
A recent Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General report states that 81 aircraft have been destroyed or damaged, totaling $3.3 billion in costs—a fraction of the overall $43 billion estimate for the war. The largest expense for American citizens comes in the form of added fuel costs at home. According to a Brown University analysis, the war has cost civilians an additional $128 billion just in higher gasoline and diesel prices. The national average price for a gallon of gas rose from $2.98 pre-war to $4.36—a 46 percent increase. Diesel drivers are hit hardest, with prices climbing from $3.60 to $6.30, an increase of 72 percent.
The report details specific equipment losses:
– In March, three F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were destroyed over Kuwait after Kuwaiti air defenses (allegedly) mistakenly shot them down. No American aircrew members died, and the Kuwaitis admitted to accidentally firing at them, according to a Centcom report. Adjusted for inflation, an F-15E costs between $60 million and $65 million. The United States lost another such jet when it was shot down over Iran.
– The military destroyed two Special Operations aircraft during a rescue mission in covert operations to extract troops from behind enemy lines. An official with knowledge of the mission stated that “it became necessary to destroy” the MC-130J planes, which cost more than $110 million each.
– Six Americans died in an incident involving refueling aircraft. The event was not the result of hostile or friendly fire, according to Centcom, which reported one aircraft crashed in Iraq with no details on what happened. Separately, Iran damaged five KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
– The military lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones—about 25 percent of its fleet. At $56 million each, this alone amounts to over $2.5 billion in taxpayer losses. The Reaper is deployed near the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping corridor that has given Iran significant leverage.
– Iranians shot down an Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, which costs about $18 million—far less than what Iran spent to destroy it.
Pentagon officials reported that as of September, the war had cost $43.6 billion. This figure includes $11.2 billion in operating expenses (for fuel, combat pay, aircraft maintenance, medical care, parts) and $32.4 billion in unfunded replacement costs for damaged assets. The Pentagon’s report also notes that this total does not include billions of dollars in damage to U.S. infrastructure across bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan.
The Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General further reported that Iranians carried out 600 attacks on U.S. facilities between April and June, damaging or destroying hundreds of buildings and structures at military bases throughout the Middle East.
All these costs add up to more than $171 billion—a conservative estimate that does not account for expenses accrued after this report was compiled or additional costs for American consumers due to rising fuel prices affecting food and other essentials.
