The US war with Iran has come to a halt, at least for now, with President Donald Trump claiming that Americans have won. However, an objective analysis of the conflict’s impact on the US reveals a more nuanced story.
Cost of the War
The conflict has cost the Department of Defense around $40 billion, according to preliminary numbers from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. This figure includes the cost of munitions, destroyed equipment, and damage to bases, but does not incorporate operational costs that were already factored into the department’s budget.
The Pentagon has submitted a request for $80 billion in supplemental funding, with less than $20 billion of that total related to immediate needs from the Iran war. The military used significant portions of key missile inventory, with Trump invoking the Defense Production Act to force defense companies to manufacture more weapons.
Economic Impact
The war has driven up gas prices, with the average US price rising from less than $3 per gallon to over $4 during the conflict. American households have spent more than $253 extra on gas due to the war, according to an energy cost tracker from Brown University. The conflict has also affected farmers and shippers, with diesel prices rising from around $3.80 before the war to over $5 as of June 15.
The nation’s emergency reserve of oil has been depleted, with the world losing 1.15 billion barrels of oil supply during the war. The US has been taking crude from other sources, including Venezuela and Brazil, to meet demand.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
