Iran war's true cost closer to $50 billion, not $25 billion, U.S. officials say

Washington — The true price tag of the Iran war is closer to $50 billion, U.S. officials familiar with internal assessments told CBS News, roughly double the public estimate the Pentagon cited in congressional testimony this week. In testimony Wednesday on Capitol Hill, a Pentagon official placed the cost of the Defense Department's Operation Epic Fury at about $25 billion, a figure that did not fully account for damaged or destroyed equipment or U.S. military installations damaged. As Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared before lawmakers this week to defend the Pentagon's sprawling $1.5 trillion budget request, U.S. officials familiar with internal assessments suggested the war's price tag is closer to $50 billion so far. Much of the gap is accounted for by munitions that have been used and need to be replaced. For instance, the Pentagon has lost 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones — sophisticated unmanned aircraft that can cost $30 million or more apiece — underscoring how quickly the financial toll has mounted. Taken together, the higher estimate reflects not only the tempo of operations but also the often unseen costs of attrition, as material lost in the field reshapes the ledger. The Pentagon's acting comptroller, Jules Hurst, testified before the Senate on Thursday that the cost of military construction is hard to estimate. …