Khaberni - A senior official in the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) said today, Wednesday, that the Iranian war has so far cost the United States about 25 billion dollars.
This is the first official estimate of the war costs, according to Reuters.
With only 6 months left until the midterm congressional elections, polls indicate the Democratic Party’s lead as it attempts to link the unpopular war in Iran to the rising living costs.
The Republican Party, to which President Donald Trump belongs, may face a tough battle in these elections to maintain its majority in the House of Representatives, according to Reuters.
Jules Herst, the acting financial controller for the members of the Armed Forces Committee in the House of Representatives, said that most of this money was spent on ammunition.
Herst did not clarify whether this estimate includes the anticipated costs for rebuilding or repairing the infrastructure of military bases in the Middle East that were damaged by the conflict.
In response to Herst, Representative Adam Smith, the senior Democrat on the Armed Forces Committee, said, "I'm glad you answered this question, because we have been asking it for a very long time, and no one has given us a number until now."
The United States began air strikes on Iran on February 28, while both sides are currently adhering to a fragile ceasefire. The Pentagon has deployed tens of thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, in addition to keeping 3 aircraft carriers in the region.
13 U.S. soldiers have been killed in the war and hundreds wounded.
The disruptions in shipments of oil and natural gas since the outbreak of the war have led to higher gasoline prices in the United States, as well as prices of agricultural products such as fertilizers, along with a long list of already high-cost consumer goods.
