The United States is dramatically underestimating the financial cost of the Iran war. The ruling class has to know that it’s lying to the American taxpayer, the people tasked with actually bearing the cost of war started by power-hungry sociopaths.

The Intercept has warned that the cost of this war with Iran could balloon into the trillions of dollars over the long term, pushing many Americans past the breaking point.

Affordability Crisis Worsens As 2026 Approaches

At the very least, the rulers are claiming that the war is burning through between $1 billion and $2 billion per day, or roughly $11,500 to $23,000 per second. The cost, the officials told The Intercept, could rise to a quarter trillion dollars or more over the coming months.

The US military budget, the world’s largest, surpassed $830 billion for fiscal year 2026. President Donald Trump has boasted that the regime-change campaign in Tehran could be waged “forever” using the Pentagon’s current munition stockpiles, though skeptics say weapons depletion is a major issue. -RT

The Pentagon recently asked for only $200 billion to cover the costs of the war; however, that seems like a vast underestimate, and even at that, it has the potential to destroy the already devastated U.S. economy.

Jules Hurst III, the War Department’s acting comptroller and chief financial officer, called the Pentagon’s initial $11.3 billion estimate a “ballpark number,” speaking at the Reagan Institute’s National Security Innovation Base Summit. Hurst said a more comprehensive figure would be provided with a supplemental budget request, which he said the Pentagon plans to soon submit to the White House and Congress, accoridng to a report by The Intercept. 

The Intercept further contrasted estimates of Operation Epic Fury provided by Trump administration officials with figures from experts, lawmakers, and two government officials interviewed on condition of anonymity.

The $12 billion estimate, which was given on Sunday by Trump economic adviser Kevin Hassett, does not account for the cost of the buildup in the Middle East that preceded the US-Israeli attack in late February, the outlet stated. A three-week war would directly cost between $60 billion and $130 billion, rising to $250 billion if it extends to eight weeks, government sources told the outlet.

Trump’s War with Iran Is Even More of a Disaster than People Realize