Intercept Warns: US Underestimates Long-Term Costs of Iran Conflict

(SeaPRwire) –   The report has cautioned that the total expense of regime change in Tehran could reach trillions of dollars across several decades.

According to The Intercept, officials are downplaying the financial burden of the Iran war on American taxpayers, which might escalate to trillions of dollars over an extended period.

For fiscal year 2026, the US military budget, which is the largest globally, exceeded $830 billion. President Donald Trump has claimed that the campaign to change the regime in Tehran could continue indefinitely with the Pentagon’s existing weapons supplies, although critics argue that munitions shortages present a significant problem.

On Wednesday, The Intercept compared the Trump administration’s projections for Operation Epic Fury against data from specialists, legislators, and two anonymous government sources.

The publication noted that the $12 billion projection from Trump economic advisor Kevin Hassett on Sunday excludes expenses for the military buildup in the Middle East prior to the US-Israeli assault in late February. Sources within the government informed the outlet that a three-week conflict would have direct costs of $60 billion to $130 billion, increasing to $250 billion if it lasts eight weeks.

Legislators anticipate that the administration will request an additional minimum of $50 billion for the $1.5 trillion War Department budget proposal for fiscal year 2027.

The report emphasized that extended costs—such as veterans’ benefits and interest on new debt—might drive the overall total into the trillions, comparable to the Iraq War. The George W. Bush administration originally projected the expense of removing Saddam Hussein at $40 billion, though independent evaluations estimated approximately $8 trillion by 2021.

Treasury figures indicate that US national debt is nearing $39 trillion, an increase from $38 trillion in October of last year. During his presidential campaign, Trump pledged to avoid initiating expensive new conflicts and to decrease the debt by eliminating inefficient government expenditures.

This week, Joe Kent, director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, stepped down in opposition to the Iran war. He stated that, despite Trump’s claims, Iran “presented no immediate danger to our country” and that the strike was initiated “because of pressure from Israel and its influential American lobby.”