WASHINGTON – Defense Department officials told senators in a closed-door briefing Tuesday that they estimate the first six days of the war in Iran cost more than $11.3 billion, according to three sources familiar with the briefing.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, told reporters Wednesday that he believes the number is even higher, since the current figure does not include all aspects of the war.
“I expect the current total operational number to be significantly higher,” Coons said. “If the only thing we take into account is the cost of replacing the ammunition used, it already far exceeds $10 billion.”
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the briefing before the Republican-led Senate Defense Appropriations subcommittee. The briefing was first reported by The New York Times.
The estimate of the cost of less than a week of war comes as the Trump administration is determining how much it will ask Congress in a supplemental funding bill to cover the growing cost of the conflict. The appropriations subcommittee will play a critical role in crafting that legislation.
The war, which has now been going on for 11 days, has caused hundreds of victims in the Middle East. Israeli and American attacks have killed more than 1,200 people in Iran, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society. Thirteen people have died in Israel and six in the United Arab Emirates, while 570 people have died in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese prime minister’s office.
Seven American service members have been killed in the war and 140 have been wounded.
It is unclear how much longer the war will last. President Donald Trump made conflicting comments Tuesday, saying the war would end “very soon,” while at the same event saying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s claims that it was just “the beginning” might also be correct.
“I think you could say both,” Trump said.
Tensions are rising as at least three ships have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump says would cause the United States to escalate attacks on Iran. US Central Command said on Wednesday it had “eliminated” 16 Iranian minelayers and multiple warships near the strait.
