Iran war cost hits $1.2bn in first week as US lawmakers question priorities

A U.S.-led air campaign against Iran exceeded $1.2 billion during its first seven days, the Pentagon told reporters on Friday, forcing Congress to weigh emergency war funding against domestic programs.

The figure, confirmed to GlobalBeat by two senior defense officials who briefed lawmakers behind closed doors, covers only munitions, fuel and combat pay for roughly 6,400 personnel deployed to the region since April 29.

The disclosure landed hours before the House voted 218-212 to advance a $16 billion supplemental request that would shift money from health, education and climate accounts to keep the operation running past mid-May.

Defense officials said the tempo of strikes—more than 430 Tomahawk missiles fired, 160 F-35 and F-22 sorties flown and two long-range B-2 bomber missions—drove daily costs to roughly $170 million, triple the rate of the 2003 Iraq invasion after inflation.

“Every 24 hours we are burning through what it would take to run 30 community health centers for a year,” Representative Rosa DeLauro, ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, told reporters after the briefing.

The White House budget office released a spreadsheet showing $420 million in Tomahawk missiles, $310 million in precision bombs, $180 million in air-to-air refueling and $190 million in hazardous-duty pay and combat bonuses for U.S. crews.

Republican leaders argued the spending protects U.S. allies and energy routes. “The cost of stopping Tehran now is cheaper than coping with a nuclear breakout later,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said on the chamber floor.

Congress split over funding source

Senate Democrats vowed to strip the supplemental of cuts to the Affordable Care Act outreach budget, setting up a showdown once the measure reaches the upper chamber next week.

Senator Bernie Sanders told reporters he will introduce an amendment to impose a 2% surcharge on incomes above $10 million to cover war costs rather than “take cancer screenings from working Americans.”

Republican senator Mitt Romney said he could back a war tax if it is paired with spending caps elsewhere, but warned “blank-check borrowing” would worsen inflation.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated interest on new borrowing for the war could add $4 billion over the next decade if offsets are removed.

Cities face delayed grants

Mayors from 18 cities wrote to congressional leaders saying $800 million in community development block grants slated for June would be frozen under the current bill.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said her city already assigned $47 million of those funds to retrofit apartment buildings against earthquake damage.

Houston’s housing department told the Texas delegation that 2,100 rental vouchers for low-income veterans would be cancelled if the cuts take effect.

FEMA officials confirmed that $350 million in hazard-mitigation grants for flood-prone states would also be paused, delaying elevating 1,400 homes in Louisiana and West Virginia.

Iran strikes inflame region

Iranian state media said 78 civilians died since April 29, including 22 in a single neighborhood near Isfahan that local officials blamed on a misaligned U.S. bomb.

U.S. Central Command said it struck a radar site adjacent to the residential area and is investigating claims of structural damage to apartment blocks.

The Iranian foreign ministry summoned the Swiss ambassador, who handles U.S. interests in Tehran, to warn of retaliation “beyond the theatre of operations,” according to a ministry statement.

Three rockets landed near Al-Asad air base in western Iraq on Friday morning, wounding two U.S. contractors, a U.S. defense official confirmed, blaming an Iran-backed militia.

Oil markets react

Brent crude rose to $96 a barrel, its highest level since October, after Iran threatened to mine the Strait of Hormuz if attacks continue.

Energy analysts at Goldman Sachs estimated a three-week closure of the waterway would add 40 cents to average U.S. gasoline prices, costing motorists $55 million daily.

The White House said it will release 1 million barrels a day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for 30 days starting Monday to steady markets.

Background

Congress last passed a standalone war tax in 1968 to fund Vietnam conflict surges, levying 10% on individual incomes above $7,000. Lawmakers repealed the surcharge in 1973, and every major military operation since has been financed through borrowing or reshuffling existing appropriations.

The 2003 Iraq war ran up a direct bill of $815 billion through 2021, according to Congressional Research Service data, almost all of it added to federal debt. Adjusted for inflation the Afghanistan campaign cost $837 billion. Combined, the two wars pushed cumulative U.S. borrowing above $6 trillion, the Treasury Department reported.

What’s Next

The Senate Appropriations Committee will markup the supplemental on Tuesday, with votes on war-tax and offset amendments expected to stretch into the weekend. If the bill clears both chambers before the Memorial Day recess, the first $5 billion could reach the Pentagon by June 1, allowing sustained air operations through July, budget analysts said.

Watch for final vote margins in both chambers; any funding lapse after May 31 would force the Pentagon to slow the air campaign and dip into Navy ship-maintenance accounts, officials warned.