The Pentagon reports that the first six days of the US campaign against Iran have cost a staggering $11.3 billion
Image: Atta Kenare / AFP
Pentagon officials have told US lawmakers that the first six days of the US military campaign against Iran cost more than $11.3 billion (at least R186.9 billion), The New York Times reported.
The report, citing three people familiar with the closed-door briefing between the Pentagon and Congress, said the figure, thought to be the most comprehensive preliminary estimate Congress has received so far, does not include many related expenses, such as the buildup of military hardware and personnel before the first strikes.
As a result, bipartisan lawmakers expect the number to rise significantly as the Pentagon continues calculating costs accumulated during the first week, the report added.
Early strikes used weapons including highly capable precision-guided AGM-154 glide bombs, which cost from $578,000 to $836,000 each, the report said, adding the US Navy purchased about 3,000 of the bombs roughly two decades ago.
Both The New York Times and The Washington Post previously reported that Pentagon officials told Congress the military used about $5.6 billion in munitions just in the first two days of the strikes jointly launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.
XINHUA