The Pentagon's estimate of the cost of the war against Iran at $25 billion may fail to account for a number of key expenses and significantly underestimates the real scale of spending. This was reported by Bloomberg, according to UNN.
Details
According to data released during congressional hearings, the Pentagon included the cost of munitions and a portion of operating expenses in the total.
At the same time, Bloomberg's calculations indicate that individual components alone already reach about $14 billion. Of these, about $8 billion is for munitions, $5 billion for the replacement of destroyed equipment, and another $1 billion for the operation of two aircraft carriers and 16 destroyers during 39 days of active combat operations.
What costs are not included
The calculations do not take into account the repair of damaged facilities, including the U.S. Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain, which was subjected to Iranian strikes.
Also excluded are the costs of deploying additional forces prior to the start of the active phase of the operation, fuel costs, and the full cost of equipment operation.
"The Pentagon's $25 billion figure is clearly a narrow measure of how much the war cost,"
Equipment losses and disputes in Congress
During the hostilities, the U.S. lost dozens of aircraft, including MQ-9 Reaper drones, F-15E fighters, an E-3 AWACS aircraft, KC-135 tankers, and other equipment. Their replacement will require billions of additional dollars.
US depleted almost half of its Patriot missile stocks due to war with Iran - analysis22.04.26, 10:19
The cost estimate has become a subject of heated debate in Congress. Representative Maggie Goodlander criticized the Pentagon for the lack of detailed reporting.
"It is extraordinary negligence that you cannot account for the billions of dollars spent,"
Senator Richard Blumenthal also noted that even estimates at the level of $2 billion per day could be understated.
Analysts believe that the final cost of the war could significantly exceed official figures due to hidden and long-term expenses.
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