According to three U.S. officials and three people familiar with internal cost assessments, the cost of a war with Iran could be more than three times the latest estimate of approximately $30 billion. Sources said that the Department of Defense's internal estimate of the total cost of the war, including repairing damaged U.S. military bases, replacing destroyed aircraft, and fully replenishing depleted U.S. weapons and equipment, is between $80 billion and $100 billion.
Previously, a funding shortfall arose because the Pentagon failed to estimate the costs of the war and other military operations, including operations against drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere. The Pentagon is seeking $68 billion in supplemental budget appropriations. If approved by Congress, this funding would keep the Pentagon operational until this fall, when Congress will consider a new $1.5 trillion budget bill. So far, members of Congress have shown little interest in approving this supplemental funding request.
