TEHRAN- A newly released US government report has shed further light on the financial and military costs of Washington’s war with Iran, estimating that the conflict had cost the United States $33.4 billion by June 29, while Iranian strikes damaged or destroyed hundreds of structures and dozens of American aircraft across US military facilities in the Middle East.

The figures are contained in the latest Lead Inspector General report to Congress, issued by the US Department of Defense and covering the conflict through the end of June. The assessment highlights not only the scale of material damage sustained by US forces but also mounting pressure on American weapons stockpiles and the defense-industrial base responsible for replenishing them. 

Billions spent as US munitions stocks come under pressure

According to the report, $22.3 billion of the $33.4 billion total was spent on munitions, while equipment losses accounted for another $3.7 billion and other expenses for approximately $7.4 billion. The heavy consumption of American weapons during the campaign, the report said, “resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply.” 

The assessment is significant because the United States entered the conflict with one of the world’s largest and most sophisticated military arsenals, yet the pace of weapons expenditure exposed limitations in its ability to rapidly replenish key systems during a sustained high-intensity conflict.

The report also puts the direct physical damage to US diplomatic facilities in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates at $184 million because of Iranian attacks. Separate emergency response and evacuation operations added substantially to the overall cost of the conflict. 

The findings contrast with repeated assurances from US President Donald Trump that American weapons production remains exceptionally strong. Ahead of the report’s release, Trump said the United States was producing more “Exquisite and Elite Weapons” than at any point in its history.

Iranian strikes damage US aircraft and military infrastructure

The Pentagon assessment also documents the impact of Iranian attacks on US military installations across the region. Hundreds of buildings and other structures were damaged or destroyed, while dozens of aircraft were lost or damaged by the end of June. 

Among the aircraft affected was an F-35A Lightning II, which sustained damage from Iranian fire. The incident was particularly notable because it represented the first reported combat damage to an F-35A, one of the most advanced and expensive aircraft in the US inventory.

The report also recorded the destruction of four F-15E Strike Eagle fighters and one A-10 Thunderbolt II, while seven KC-135 Stratotanker aerial-refueling aircraft were damaged or destroyed. In addition, seven helicopters and more than 30 unmanned aircraft were lost. 

Earlier Congressional Research Service assessments had already identified at least 42 US aircraft lost or damaged during Operation Epic Fury, although the CRS cautioned that its figures were based on publicly available information and could be revised as additional information emerged. 
Continuing losses underline the cost of the campaign

The military costs have continued to accumulate beyond the period covered by the Pentagon report. In early September, an Iranian ballistic-missile attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan damaged an A-10 and approximately eight F-15 aircraft, according to US officials. The A-10 reportedly suffered severe damage to one wing, while the F-15s were assessed as serviceable after sustaining lighter damage. 

The attack also required US forces to launch roughly 30 Patriot interceptors, adding to concerns over the availability of expensive air-defense munitions. Reuters reported that US officials and analysts have warned of pressure on interceptor inventories after months of sustained operations. 

The emerging picture is therefore one of a conflict imposing costs well beyond the battlefield itself. In addition to the billions of dollars spent on combat operations, the United States has faced damage to bases and aircraft, depletion of high-value munitions and growing demands on its defense-industrial supply chain.

For Washington, the report offers a rare official accounting of the price of the Iran war and highlights a central challenge of prolonged high-intensity warfare: maintaining the pace of weapons consumption while simultaneously replacing sophisticated systems that are costly, technologically complex, and difficult to produce at scale.