The United States expended an estimated $5.6 billion in munitions during the first two days of its war against Iran, according to officials cited in reporting from The Washington Post. The figure provides one of the clearest indications yet of the immense scale of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign that began on February 28 and rapidly expanded across the region.
Three U.S. officials told the newspaper that the $5.6 billion total represents the value of weapons used in the opening bombardment alone. The estimate reflects hundreds of precision weapons systems deployed by U.S. forces in the first phase of the conflict, including Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptor missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from naval vessels and aircraft operating in the region.
Within days of the first strikes, the campaign had already reached a significant operational scale. Four days into the war, U.S. Central Command head Brad Cooper said the United States had struck 2,000 targets using more than 2,000 munitions.
Subsequent briefings indicated the scope had grown even further. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, later said that U.S. forces had struck more than 5,000 targets across Iran and sunk more than 50 Iranian vessels.
The rapid pace of military operations has made calculating the full financial cost of the war difficult. Lawmakers have said the Pentagon has not fully answered congressional questions about how much the campaign is costing.
Other estimates presented to lawmakers and analysts offer differing snapshots of the conflict’s price tag. The New York Times reported that Defense Department officials told Congress that the first week of fighting cost approximately $6 billion, including roughly $4 billion spent on munitions such as interceptors used to shoot down Iranian missiles.
Separate reporting by The Atlantic, citing a congressional official, placed the cost of the war at roughly $1 billion per day. An analysis by the Center for American Progress estimated that by March 2, four days into the conflict, the cost of the war had already exceeded $5 billion when operational factors such as repositioning military forces and the loss of F-15 fighter jets in friendly fire incidents were included.
Another estimate from the Institute for Policy Studies examined only certain operational support costs connected to naval and aircraft deployments. The organization estimated those expenses alone amounted to about $60 million per day. The calculation did not include the cost of munitions, prewar military buildup, additional troop deployments, or the cost of the aircraft and naval assets themselves.
The military campaign has relied heavily on expensive advanced weaponry. Tomahawk cruise missiles, which are jet powered and GPS guided and manufactured by Raytheon, cost about $1.3 million each.
The Pentagon is also repositioning elements of a THAAD missile defense system from South Korea to the Middle East. The Lockheed Martin weapons system is valued between $1 billion and $1.8 billion.
Military officials have indicated that the strategy could shift as the war continues and stockpiles of certain munitions are drawn down. Defense leaders have suggested that U.S. forces may rely more heavily on laser guided bombs, which are available in greater numbers than precision cruise missiles.
At the same time, the administration has signaled that the tempo of the conflict may increase. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that the next phase of the campaign could involve “our most intense day of strikes inside Iran.”
Naval forces operating in regional waters have been a central component of the bombardment. In a statement released during the conflict, U.S. Central Command said that “guided-missile destroyers are delivering unrelenting, overwhelming firepower from regional waters. DAY and NIGHT.”
While the military campaign expanded, humanitarian organizations reported a growing toll inside Iran. Human rights group HRANA said that at least 1,245 civilians have been killed in the fighting.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported that approximately 10,000 civilian structures have been damaged, including residential buildings, schools, and nearly three dozen health facilities.
One likely U.S. strike on an elementary school in Minab reportedly killed 175 people. Most of the victims were children between the ages of seven and twelve.
Strikes on oil depots in Tehran produced thick smoke that spread across the capital. The Red Crescent warned residents of the city, which has a population of roughly 10 million people, to avoid leaving their homes because blackened rainfall caused by the fires could pose a health risk.
The conflict has also triggered retaliatory attacks by Iran across the region. Iranian forces have launched strikes against Israel and allied countries including Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.
Even as the fighting continues, the administration has begun preparing new funding requests to sustain the war. The White House is expected to submit a supplemental defense funding proposal to Congress that could reach $50 billion.
At the same time, the United States has continued to support Israeli military operations in the conflict. Israel has reportedly dropped 4,000 bombs on Iran during the first four days of the war.
Last week the State Department bypassed Congress to approve $151.8 million in military support for Israel, including the transfer of 12,000 1,000-pound bombs. Officials cited an “emergency” in the Middle East when authorizing the transfer.
Despite the scale of the military campaign, early polling indicates the conflict faces significant opposition among the American public. A Quinnipiac survey found that 53 percent of voters oppose military action against Iran while 40 percent support it. The same poll found that 77 percent of respondents believe the conflict could result in a terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
Critics have also pointed to the contrast between the rapid mobilization of funds for the war and ongoing domestic economic challenges. The Institute for Policy Studies’ National Priorities Project said that spending $1 billion per day on the war could cover Medicaid for all 16 million people expected to lose coverage following Republican cuts last year, as well as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for the 41 million Americans who rely on them.
Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon criticized the cost of the conflict in a social media post, writing: “Trump’s war of choice has ALREADY cost us $5 billion,” Merkley wrote. “All while he’s ripping health care and nutrition assistance away from millions of Americans.”
Meanwhile administration officials have maintained that the Pentagon has the resources needed to continue the campaign. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Defense Department has “everything it needs to execute any mission at the time and place of the President’s choosing and on any timeline.”
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