The first six days of the conflict in the Middle East are estimated to have cost Washington at least $11.3 billion.
The US is quickly depleting its weapons stockpile and has “burnt over the years” of some critical munitions after launching its war against Iran, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
In a closed-door briefing on Tuesday, Pentagon officials estimated that the first six days of the US war with Iran had already cost at least $11.3 billion.
The rapid munitions flow has raised fears about the rising cost of the war and Washington’s ability to restore key weapons, including advanced long-range Tomahawk missiles, the FT said.
The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that US forces will fire 168 Tomahawk cruise missiles during the first 100 hours of operations against Iran.
“That’s a huge tomahawk cost. The Navy will suffer that for years to come.” A source told the outlet that the US is facing a deficit that is unlikely to be fixed soon.
Tomahawk cruise missiles, the US Navy’s long-range, subsonic strike weapon that carry 1,000-pound warheads, cost about $3.6 million each. The US military has bought just 322 in the past five years, including 57 for $206.6 million in fiscal year 2026, enough to replace only a fraction of those used in recent missions.
The scale of US spending contrasts sharply with recent promises from Washington. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told the public earlier this month “Our ammunition is full and our will is ironclad” Trump boasts that the country can wage wars “Forever” thank you “virtually unlimited” Arms supply.
According to the British outlet, the Pentagon is expected to submit a request for $50 billion in additional military funding to the White House and Congress soon.
But any additional funding for the Iran war is likely to face fierce opposition in both chambers. Democratic lawmakers are expected to push back, with many denouncing the campaign as illegal in the absence of congressional authority, the FT said.
A member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), pointed to resistance to the open request and recalled that the White House has long said it could not provide more weapons to Ukraine and its European backers without depleting the U.S. stockpile.
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