❓WHAT HAPPENED: The cost of U.S. military operations in Iran under President Donald J. Trump’s Operation Epic Fury has reached up to $31 billion over five weeks, according to research by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, the Pentagon, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
📍WHEN & WHERE: The operation has been ongoing since February 28, with significant costs incurred due to Iranian retaliatory strikes against Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Qatar.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Damaged equipment can sometimes be repaired in days, while some destroyed systems will take years to replace on a one-to-one basis,” said Elaine McCusker, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
🎯IMPACT: The operation has strained U.S. military resources, damaged key assets, and raised concerns about broader strategic vulnerabilities.
The ongoing war with the Islamic Republic of Iran—dubbed by the Trump administration as Operation Epic Fury—has cost the United States between $22.3 billion and $31 billion in just five weeks of action, according to research from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Launched by President Donald J. Trump on February 28, the military operation has incurred significant expenses for damaged and destroyed military equipment, as well as personnel losses, after retaliatory missile strikes on U.S. military bases and assets across the Middle East.
AEI estimates that replacing equipment damaged in Iranian retaliatory strikes has cost between $2.1 billion and $3.6 billion. “Damaged equipment can sometimes be repaired in days, while some destroyed systems will take years to replace on a one-to-one basis,” noted Elaine McCusker, a senior fellow at AEI.
Key U.S. military assets damaged or destroyed include a Boeing E-3 Sentry airborne warning system, multiple radar systems in Qatar and Jordan, and naval base facilities in Bahrain. Additionally, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier experienced several issues with its waste facilities and will need repairs following its extended tour of duty in both the Caribbean and the eastern Mediterranean.
Additional analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates the war‘s daily cost at approximately $500 million, with $1.4 billion in losses recorded during the first six days of fighting alone. CISIS emphasized the urgency of replacing compromised radar systems, which are critical for detecting missile threats.
The operation has also seen the loss of several high-value assets, including more than a dozen MQ-9 Reaper drones, multiple F-15E fighter jets, and a KC-135 tanker. In addition to the financial toll, 13 U.S. soldiers have lost their lives, with 373 others injured.
Image by Hossein Zohrevand/Tasnim News Agency.
Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.