US military campaign against Iran costs over $10b in just 10 days

In just a fortnight, US military operations against Iran have incurred an estimated $10.35 billion in costs — averaging more than one billion dollars each day. This expenditure represents 1.23% of the entire U.S. defense budget for fiscal year 2026, according to estimations compiled by Anadolu.

US forces alone spent an estimated $779 million on a single day as the operation commenced, marking their most expensive hour yet. As operations expanded, spending climbed into billions, based on flight hours, maintenance costs, and munitions expenditures from the U.S. Department of Defense’s 2025 and 2026 budget requests.

The first hundred hours have already cost about $3.3 billion, with estimates rising to nearly $8 billion when scaled over a ten-day period by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The Pentagon’s own figures place this at an average daily operational cost of around $857 million, pushing the total 10-day figure to approximately $8.57 billion.

In addition to these costs, Iran has also inflicted damage or destruction on U.S. military assets worth $2.55 billion, according to Anadolu estimates. The largest single loss was a US AN/FPS-132 early warning radar system at Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, valued at $1.1 billion, hit by an Iranian missile during retaliatory strikes on February 28.

The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, also suffered significant damage, with two satellite communication terminals and several large buildings destroyed. The New York Times reported that the targeted communication equipment cost around $20 million to deploy and install.

On the second day of attacks, three F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were lost during a friendly-fire incident in Kuwait, resulting in replacement costs estimated at $282 million. Additionally, US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones have been shot down multiple times; earlier incidents cost about $90 million in total for two drones, while another drone was reportedly destroyed over Iran’s Hormozgan Province, adding to the tally at an estimated $120 million.

Meanwhile, at least two AN/TPY-2 radar components belonging to the THAAD missile defense system were damaged in separate strikes in the UAE and Jordan. Each system is valued around $500 million, with reports of a third hit in the UAE still awaiting confirmation by satellite imagery or official statements.

Totaling these costs, Pentagon officials reported that the first week cost about $6 billion, primarily due to munitions expenditures and advanced missile interceptors. Adding on estimated asset losses at $2.55 billion, sustained operations thus far have reached approximately $10.35 billion — amounting to roughly $1.03 billion per day.

The scope of these costs has significant implications for the U.S. defense budget and operational readiness, prompting concerns over potential long-term financial strain on the military. As the situation continues to evolve, estimates suggest that replenishing munitions used during this conflict could cost an additional $3.1 billion by the end of the 10-day period. Meanwhile, ongoing costs for US naval forces deployed in the region — including the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carriers along with their escorts — approximate around $15 million per day.

Should deployments like the USS George HW Bush strike group materialize in the CENTCOM area of operations, these operational expenses could swell even further, underscoring the far-reaching consequences of this conflict on both military resources and financial stability.