WASHINGTON - The first 100 hours of the US military campaign against Iran cost approximately $3.7 billion, according to a new analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies . That amounts to more than $890 million per day.
The estimate offers the clearest picture yet of the financial scale of Operation Epic Fury, which began February 28. Less than $200 million of the total represents operational costs already included in the Pentagon's budget . The remaining $3.54 billion will likely require additional funding from Congress, the CSIS analysts said .
Earlier estimates from the first 24 hours of the campaign put the cost at $779 million, according to calculations by the Turkish Anadolu Agency . That figure included $340.4 million for Tomahawk missile launches and $271.3 million for fighter jet sorties .
The Pentagon is now preparing for a longer conflict than initially anticipated. US Central Command has requested additional intelligence personnel to support operations that could last at least 100 days, according to a document obtained by Politico . President Donald Trump said March 2 that he expects the action to continue for "4 to 5 weeks" but added that "we have the ability to go longer" .
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not given a firm timeline. "You can say four weeks, but it could be six, it could be eight, it could be three," Hegseth said this week. "Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo" .
The main expenses so far include replacing munitions and covering equipment losses, such as three F-15 fighter aircraft destroyed in a friendly-fire incident in Kuwait . The Navy launched around 200 Tomahawk cruise missiles during the opening strikes, with each latest-generation missile costing approximately $2.5 million .
Two aircraft carrier strike groups — the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln — are operating in the region, with combined daily costs of roughly $6.5 million each, according to the Center for New American Security .
B-2 stealth bombers have flown non-stop missions from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, dropping 2,000-pound munitions on Iranian nuclear and military sites at a cost exceeding $30 million, based on estimates from previous strikes .
Looking ahead, analysts warn that costs could escalate rapidly if the conflict continues. Kent Smetters, director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model, projects total direct military spending could reach $40 billion to $95 billion if operations wrap up within two months . His most probable estimate is $65 billion in direct costs, plus an additional $50 billion to $210 billion in broader economic damage from trade disruption and energy price shocks .
The Institute for Policy Studies calculates that major equipment operations cost $59.39 million per day, including $30.68 million for naval deployments and $23.31 million for aircraft operations .
Defensive systems add significantly to the daily expenses. Each interceptor missile for the THAAD system costs about $12.8 million, according to Pentagon data . Patriot missile interceptors run approximately $4 million each, with some reports indicating multiple interceptors have been used against single Iranian missiles .
The conflict is raising concerns about US munitions stockpiles. Years of transfers to Ukraine and ongoing operations in the Middle East have depleted inventories of high-end missiles and defense systems . A source told The Daily Mail that at current usage rates, supplies of some interceptor missiles could run out within days .
Iran's military strategy relies on lower-cost weapons to offset US technological advantages. Shahed drones cost roughly $50,000 each to produce, while intercepting them can cost up to $3 million . Analysts estimate Iran possesses around 2,500 ballistic missiles and produces hundreds more each month .
The economic impact extends beyond direct military spending. US crude oil prices jumped 6.4% Thursday to $79.44 per barrel, the highest level since mid-January 2025 . The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 966 points, or 1.99%, as investors worried about inflation and energy costs .
More than 11,000 flights across 10 countries in the region have been canceled since February 28 . Several airlines, including Lufthansa, Emirates, and Qatar Airways, have suspended or reduced services .
The Pentagon is reportedly preparing a request for up to $50 billion in emergency supplemental funding to replace munitions and cover equipment losses . That process would mirror the Overseas Contingency Operations accounts used to fund wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which allocated more than $2 trillion over two decades with less congressional oversight than regular defense budgets .
Six US service members have been confirmed killed in the operation so far . A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in the first days of the campaign found that only 25 percent of Americans support the strikes .