Pentagon Watchdog Reports $33.4 Billion Iran War Cost as U.S. Munitions Stocks Run Short
Updated
Updated · NBC News · Sep 14
Pentagon Watchdog Reports $33.4 Billion Iran War Cost as U.S. Munitions Stocks Run Short
3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Sep 14
Summary
$33.4 billion — including $22.3 billion in expended munitions — is the Pentagon inspector general’s first official tally for the Iran war through June 30, and it says the conflict left U.S. weapons stocks short.
The report says the war created supply-chain bottlenecks and forced the Pentagon to speed procurement, cut production lead times and stockpile critical materials and selected munitions.
That finding undercuts Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had recently insisted the U.S. had "virtually unlimited" ammunition and was producing weapons at record levels.
At least 30 MQ-9 drones, four F-15Es, one F-35A, one A-10, 12 KC-135 tankers and nine other aircraft were destroyed or heavily damaged, while more than 20,000 U.S. military and diplomatic personnel were displaced.
The watchdog also confirms Iran struck the U.S. Navy’s main regional logistics hub in Bahrain, adding to evidence that the war has lasted far longer and hit U.S. assets harder than initially projected.