Iran war's true cost closer to $50 billion, not $25 billion, U.S. officials say

Washington — The existent terms tag of the Iran warfare is person to $50 billion, U.S. officials acquainted with interior assessments told CBS News, astir treble the nationalist estimation the Pentagon cited successful legislature grounds this week. 

In grounds Wednesday connected Capitol Hill, a Pentagon authoritative placed the outgo of the Defense Department's Operation Epic Fury astatine astir $25 billion, a fig that did not afloat relationship for damaged oregon destroyed instrumentality oregon U.S. subject installations damaged. 

As Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared earlier lawmakers this week to support the Pentagon's sprawling $1.5 trillion fund request, U.S. officials acquainted with interior assessments suggested the war's terms tag is person to $50 cardinal truthful far. 

Much of the spread is accounted for by munitions that person been utilized and request to beryllium replaced. For instance, the Pentagon has mislaid 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones — blase unmanned craft that tin outgo $30 cardinal oregon much apiece — underscoring however rapidly the fiscal toll has mounted. Taken together, the higher estimation reflects not lone the tempo of operations but besides the often unseen costs of attrition, arsenic worldly mislaid successful the tract reshapes the ledger.

The Pentagon's acting comptroller, Jules Hurst, testified earlier the Senate connected Thursday that the outgo of subject operation is hard to estimate. 

"We don't cognize what our aboriginal posture is going to beryllium oregon the aboriginal operation of those bases," Hurst said erstwhile Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut questioned what was included successful the $25 billion.

CNN archetypal reported that the existent estimate is person to $40-50 billion. 

On Wednesday, Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware expressed doubt that the warfare truthful acold has outgo lone $25 billion: "I americium frankly definite that that is low," helium said, suggesting that fig did not see the outgo of deploying and holding forces successful theatre for 2 months and different expenses.

The warfare is hitting Americans' pocketbooks much immediately, too. 

In a legislature proceeding this week, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California asked Hegseth however overmuch the warfare volition outgo Americans done higher prices. 

"Do you cognize however overmuch it volition outgo Americans successful presumption of their accrued outgo successful state and nutrient implicit the adjacent twelvemonth due to the fact that of Iran?" Khanna asked. 

Hegseth didn't respond directly. "I would simply inquire you what the outgo is of an Iranian atomic bomb," the defence caput said, accusing Khanna of "playing gotcha questions astir home things." 

The right-of-center American Enterprise Institute estimates higher substance and fertilizer costs unsocial construe to an other $150 per period for each U.S. household. 

Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.

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