The first seven days of the conflict cost about $6 billion, with roughly $4 billion spent on munitions and missile defense interceptors, The New York Times reported, citing Defense Department officials. The discrepancy between the $11.3 billion figure and the $6 billion estimate highlights uncertainty about the true financial scale of the campaign. The higher figure, provided by Pentagon officials to lawmakers, suggests that the cost of the opening week may be far greater than initial reports indicated.
Approximately $4 billion went toward munitions and missile defense interceptors in the first week, Pentagon officials said. The cost of the first week alone would be more than enough to fully fund the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the National Cancer Institute, according to multiple media reports. The Trump administration has sought to shrink budgets of public health and science agencies, proposing cuts of more than 50% to the EPA and the National Science Foundation, multiple reports said. Congress has passed spending bills with roughly similar expenditures for these agencies as previous budget levels, according to multiple reports.
Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said the department has everything it needs to execute any mission. Over a hundred precision weapons, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, have been launched by the US since the outbreak of war, The Washington Post reported. Each Tomahawk cruise missile costs about $1.3 million, according to Business Insider, though other estimates place the cost at $2.2 million to $3.6 million per missile. Gen. Dan Caine said the US has struck more than 5,000 targets in Iran and sunk more than 50 Iranian vessels.
The US military plans to shift away from precision munitions in favor of laser-guided bombs, according to Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Initial strikes used expensive precision-guided weapons like the AGM-154 JSOW, costing between $578,000 and $836,000 per unit, multiple media reports said. The Pentagon has switched to less expensive munitions like JDAM, with the smallest warhead costing about $1,000 and the guidance kit $38,000, according to multiple reports. More than 5,000 munitions were fired in the first 96 hours alone, according to estimates from the Payne Institute for Public Policy.
Iran retaliated by bombarding Israel and allied countries including Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, according to multiple reports. Nearly 1,000 Iranians have been killed, according to state media, and seven US service members have died, the Pentagon said. However, research from three sources indicates the US has struck 1,700 targets in Iran and suffered only six fatalities. The Iranian leadership has been disrupted and dozens of senior figures killed, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to research from three sources.
Global stocks of missile interceptors were 'nearly empty' as a result of the US-Israel war on Iran.
The Pentagon has used in excess of 1,200 Patriot interceptor missiles, costing more than $4 million each, a congressional source said. The US expended roughly a quarter of its THAAD missiles in defending Israel during the 12-day war last summer, according to research from three sources. American defense contractors produce only 96 THAAD missiles a year, the same sources said. The US will use up more than a third of the THAADs stockpiled over the past year in just the next few weeks, according to the research. In 2023, the US was making approximately 370 Patriot missiles a year, and approximately 500 Patriots were produced in 2024, with roughly 650 a year expected by 2027, according to research. The US estimated last year that it had only 25% of the Patriots that the Pentagon’s planning required, The Guardian reported. Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, said at a press conference that global stocks of missile interceptors were 'nearly empty' as a result of the US-Israel war on Iran.
Around 1,100 JASSM-ER missiles have been used, leaving just 1,500 in inventory; each costs around $1.1 million, according to Pentagon estimates. Congress has not yet approved additional funding for the Defense Department, so it cannot pay manufacturers to replenish supplies, The New York Times reported. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the US has more than enough weapons to achieve any military operation.
The US had lost nearly 46% of its Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), according to estimates from the Payne Institute for Public Policy. THAAD interceptors could run out by mid-April, according to projections from the same institute.
Iran began the current conflict with approximately 2,500 ballistic missiles on hand and may be producing 'hundreds' more each month, according to Israeli sources. Iranian ballistic missile launches have dropped roughly 90% since the first day of the campaign, while drone attacks have declined by about 83%, said Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command. Iran still retains roughly half of its missile capabilities, according to U.S. officials.
U.S. and allied forces have struck around 4,000 Iranian military targets during the campaign, The New York Times reported. The exact total cost of the war to date remains unknown, as does the precise number of Tomahawk cruise missiles fired and the exact number of US fatalities. The number of targets struck in Iran is also disputed, with Gen. Caine claiming more than 5,000 and The New York Times reporting around 4,000.
Contradictions in reported figures complicate assessments of the conflict's scale and resource depletion. The cost of the first week is reported as both $11.3 billion and $6 billion. The number of Tomahawk cruise missiles fired is reported as over a hundred by The Washington Post, but other sources suggest over 1,000 have been fired. The number of targets struck in Iran is given as more than 5,000 by Gen. Caine and around 4,000 by The New York Times. US fatalities are reported as seven by the Pentagon and six by research sources. These discrepancies reflect different reporting periods, methodologies, and access to information.