Iran Claims US War Costs $100B, 4x Pentagon Figure

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the Pentagon on May 1, 2026, of understating the cost of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, claiming direct expenses have reached $100 billion, or four times the official US figure of about $25 billion.

Araghchi made the assertion in a post on X, stating, "The Pentagon is lying. Netanyahus gamble has directly cost America 100b so far, four times what is claimed. Indirect costs for U.S. taxpayers are FAR higher. Monthly bill for each American household is 500 and rising fast. Israel First always means America Last." The remarks followed congressional testimony on April 29 by Pentagon acting comptroller Jules Hurst III and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who reported costs for Operation Epic Fury at $19.7 billion to $25 billion, mainly for munitions, operations, and equipment. Hurst noted the figure excluded some damage to US installations abroad, and no formal budget request had been submitted to Congress.

The war began on February 28, 2026, with US and Israeli airstrikes that killed former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has since assumed the top leadership role. Iran responded with...