A first-of-its-kind report by the Pentagon inspector general, prepared at the request of the US Congress and revealed overnight by NBC, provides an official assessment of the heavy costs incurred by the United States during its campaign against Iran. According to the report, the direct confrontation led to a shortage of ammunition in the US military and created bottlenecks in the supply chain.
The document also provides the first official confirmation that Iranian drones and ballistic missiles succeeded in striking the US Navy's central logistics hub in Bahrain. The campaign's total cost is currently estimated at $33.4 billion, although that figure does not include the cost of repairing facilities that were damaged during the fighting.
Of that total, approximately $22.3 billion was spent on ammunition, $3.7 billion was allocated to replace or compensate for lost military equipment, and another $7.4 billion went toward other related expenses.
The report also details losses suffered by the US Air Force and Navy. Four F-15E fighter jets, an F-35A fighter jet, and an A-10 attack aircraft were destroyed or heavily damaged. In addition, 12 KC-135 refueling aircraft were taken out of service, along with nine other aircraft and more than 30 MQ-9 advanced unmanned aerial vehicles.
The report also points to a gap between the administration's assessments and the president's position on how long the conflict could last. While President Donald Trump estimates that the confrontation will end before or around the November midterm elections, senior officials close to him, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have reportedly presented him with a different assessment.
According to TheWall Street Journal, Vance and Rubio told Trump during discussions in the Oval Office and Situation Room that the campaign against Iran could continue throughout his current term and potentially beyond the next presidential inauguration.
Trump addressed the issue while speaking with reporters before departing for a Republican conference in Texas. He said Tehran had attempted to influence the US election system but "won't be able to hold out much longer." Asked about the planned end of the conflict, Trump offered a characteristically definitive timeline: "The war will end one hour after the elections."