The United States has spent an estimated 779 million dollars in the first 24 hours of its attack on Iran, which began last Saturday morning, according to estimates by Anadolu Agency.
Estimates published by The Wall Street Journal indicated that the military mobilisation preceding the war on Iran, which included repositioning aircraft and deploying more than 12 warships to the region, cost 630 million dollars.
Although predicting the total cost of ongoing military operations remains difficult, available data suggests that the United States is incurring significant daily expenses as the war on Iran enters its fourth day.
According to the Center for a New American Security, operating a carrier strike group such as the USS Gerald R Ford costs approximately 6.5 million dollars per day. Additional costs are linked to equipment losses, with at least three American fighter jets reportedly shot down in Kuwait.
High Costs and Stockpile Depletion
A report in The Times stated that the ongoing war is extremely costly, even with the US defence budget reaching one trillion dollars for 2026. The report noted that Washington’s primary concern lies in maintaining sufficient weapons stockpiles to fight a short to medium term war without jeopardising its reserves.
The newspaper explained that if the war on Iran continues for four or five weeks, as stated by US President Donald Trump, key weapons arsenals that play a central role in the conflict could face depletion.
The Times reported that land attack Tomahawk cruise missiles, Patriot missile defence systems, Standard SM 3 interceptors carried on warships, and long range THAAD air defence missiles each cost millions of dollars, and replacing them could take a year or more.
It added that the US naval fleet deployed against Iran carried hundreds of Tomahawk missiles, each costing more than one million dollars, while manufacturing a single missile takes two years. Patriot missiles cost approximately four million dollars each.
According to the report, the United States launched more than 150 THAAD missiles in June 2025, representing a quarter of its total stockpile of 632 missiles. The THAAD system was also used to intercept missiles targeting the United Arab Emirates during the current war. Each THAAD missile costs approximately 13 million dollars, while replenishing the stockpile may take between two and three years.
US Central Command, CENTCOM, confirmed that its military deployment in the region included B 2 stealth bombers, F 22, F 35 and F 16 fighter jets, A 10 attack aircraft, as well as electronic warfare planes.
CENTCOM stated that four B 2 stealth bombers departed from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on the first day of the war, striking targets using 907 kilogram Joint Direct Attack Munitions, known as JDAM.
The cost of B 2 operations alone was estimated at approximately 30.2 million dollars, based on flight hours, maintenance costs and munitions procurement data outlined in US Department of Defense budget requests for 2025 and 2026.
Concerns Over Prolonged War
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that US stockpiles of moderately advanced munitions were at their highest levels, while highly advanced munitions remained at a good level, though possibly below optimal, with efforts underway to increase them. He affirmed that the United States is capable of sustaining the war at the same pace indefinitely.
According to Al Jazeera correspondent Ahmed Hazim in Washington, this statement came in response to a report published by The Washington Post citing military officials who expressed concern that prolonging the war would place pressure on Pentagon stockpiles, particularly air defence systems.
Since Saturday morning, Israel and the United States have been carrying out military attacks on Iran, resulting in the killing of Leader Ali Khamenei, senior security and military officials, and civilians. Iran has responded with missile barrages and drone attacks targeting Israel and American bases in Gulf states, some of which have caused damage to civilian infrastructure, including airports, ports and various buildings.
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