The six‑month military confrontation with Iran has cost the US budget about $38 billion, with expenditures running at roughly $3 billion a month, analysts at the Congressional Budget Office say. They warn that spending will boost inflation by early 2027. Similar figures were cited by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth at Senate hearings. Against that backdrop, the Trump administration is seeking ways to wind down operations before the conflict fully paralyzes the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that once carried about one‑fifth of global oil flows.

Ammunition has been the largest cost item. The US military has nearly exhausted stocks of long‑range missiles and air‑defence munitions, with experts warning that replenishing arsenals could take up to five years. That shortfall threatens the country’s ability to respond to future crises, including around Taiwan. To urgently refill inventories, the Pentagon has asked Congress for an additional $90 billion, even as the department refused to cooperate with congressional auditors preparing the report.

The release of the analysis was pushed by Democratic Representative Brendan Boyle, who called the campaign catastrophic and highlighted the death of 18 service members and the heavy taxpayer cost. According to Boyle and other analysts, the report likely understates the full fiscal toll: it excludes spending on repairing damaged bases and tankers and omits interest costs on new borrowing. Servicing those loans will add tens of billions of dollars to the budget down the line.