Top News

With US forces deploying aircraft carriers, advanced fighter jets and missile defence systems, the financial toll is climbing by the hour. US President Donald Trump has indicated the campaign could last "four to five weeks," while cautioning that the United States is prepared to go "far longer than that." The open-ended nature of the operation has made it difficult to calculate a final price tag, but early assessments suggest the initial phase alone has cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Mounting Costs In The Opening Days According to estimates cited by Turkey's Anadolu news agency, the US may have spent about $779 million within the first 24 hours of Operation Epic Fury. That figure covers the opening wave of air and missile strikes as well as supporting military actions. Separate reporting by Al Jazeera indicated that the military build-up before the strikes added another $630 million. This included repositioning aircraft, deploying more than a dozen naval vessels and mobilising regional assets under US Central Command. Fighter aircraft deployments formed the core of the early assault. F-18s, F-16s, F-22s and F-35s were involved in the initial operations. Based on projected flight hours, maintenance costs and munitions outlined in the US Department of Defense budget requests for 2025 and 2026, those sorties alone are estimated to have cost around $271.34 million. Beyond the frontline fighters, the US also deployed specialised platforms such as EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, A-10C Thunderbolt attack planes and MQ-9 Reaper drones, along with the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System. Each additional layer of capability increases operational expenditure.

The Price Of A Constant Naval Presence Even without a large-scale ground invasion, maintaining a heavy naval footprint in the region carries a steep daily bill. The Center for New American Security estimates that running a carrier strike group like the USS Gerald R Ford costs roughly $6.5 million per day. If multiple carrier groups remain stationed in the Gulf for several weeks, those daily costs quickly compound into hundreds of millions of dollars. Added to that are missile defence interceptors, surveillance operations, drone missions and intelligence gathering activities. These ongoing operational expenses continue whether or not major new offensives are launched, underscoring how quickly modern warfare can drain public funds. Lessons From Afghanistan And Recent Conflicts Past conflicts offer a sense of how costs can escalate over time. The nearly two-decade war in Afghanistan required Congress to allocate just over $1 trillion to the Department of Defense for direct operations. However, when related expenses are factored in, including base budget increases, State Department reconstruction funding, interest on borrowed funds and long-term veterans' care, the overall cost exceeded $2.3 trillion, according to the Associated Press. Veterans' benefits represent a major component. Disability and medical expenses for post-9/11 war veterans had reached roughly $465 billion through fiscal 2022, and the figure is expected to rise further. Harvard University scholar Linda Bilmes has estimated that future medical and disability care for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars could add another $2 trillion between now and 2050. More recent engagements also demonstrate how quickly spending accumulates. Research by Brown University's Costs of War project found that since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, the US government has provided $21.7 billion in military aid to Israel. That total excludes additional arms sales agreements set for future delivery.

A related estimate suggested that the US spent between $9.65 billion and $12.07 billion on operations in Yemen and the broader region connected to or supporting Israeli military actions. Combined, post-October 7 expenditures linked to these conflicts amount to roughly $31.35 billion to $33.77 billion and rising. Energy Markets And The Wider Economic Impact The economic consequences extend beyond Pentagon accounts. Energy markets have already reacted to the conflict, especially as infrastructure in the Gulf faces heightened risk. Any disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil shipments, could trigger higher crude prices. That in turn may push up inflation in the United States and slow global economic growth. These indirect costs are harder to quantify but could prove substantial if the conflict drags on. How Long Will The War Last? The duration of the campaign remains uncertain. Speaking at the White House, Trump said, "Whatever the time is, it's okay - whatever it takes," while reiterating that the original projection was "four to five weeks." US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has sought to distinguish the operation from previous long-running conflicts, stating, "This is not Iraq. This is not endless," even as officials concede that further American casualties are possible. On the ground, the humanitarian toll continues to rise. Iran's Red Crescent has reported at least 555 deaths across more than 130 cities. Israeli authorities have confirmed 11 fatalities, while Lebanon has recorded 31 deaths so far. With missiles and drones still being exchanged and air operations ongoing, the financial meter continues to run. Whether the campaign concludes within the "four to five weeks" projected by President Donald Trump or extends well beyond will ultimately determine how large the final bill becomes.