The billion-dollar war

Across the Middle East, the war is recounting not only through airstrikes and missile exchanges but also through the vast financial resources now flowing into the region. As Washington deploys missile-defense systems, naval forces, and strike aircraft to counter Iran and defend regional partners, the campaign is rapidly consuming some of the most expensive capabilities in the U.S. arsenal. An analysis by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found that the first 100 hours of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-led campaign against Iran, generated approximately $3.7 billion in U.S. military expenditures.

For countries across the region, the scale of this spending is not merely a budgetary matter in Washington. It is closely tied to the course of a war unfolding across their airspace, waters, and infrastructure, where escalating military activity and growing destruction are already reshaping economic and political realities.

The first 100 hours

The opening phase of the campaign revealed how quickly the financial costs of modern warfare can accumulate. According to the CSIS breakdown, the majority of these costs came from the use of advanced strike systems and defensive missiles designed to intercept Iranian ballistic threats in flight. Naval operations also accounted for a significant share of the expenditure, as the United States has deployed two U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, 14 destroyers, and three littoral combat ships to the region. Fleet operations alone cost $64.5 million during the first 100 hours of the campaign, the CSIS analysis found.

The pace of military activity has been intense. U.S. Central Command reported that American forces conducted more than 1,700 strikes in the first 72 hours of the campaign, employing dozens of aircraft and missile systems launched from land and sea in their effort to dismantle Iran’s military infrastructure.

These operations relied on some of the U.S. military’s most advanced, and expensive, capabilities. Aircraft such as the B-2 stealth bomber, which carries a procurement cost of about $1.15 billion per aircraft according to U.S. Air Force data, were used in early strike operations, while modern air campaigns also depend heavily on advanced fighters like the F-35, which costs roughly $82.5 million per aircraft, based on figures from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Sustaining operations in a regional war

The war’s cost is not limited to the weapons fired during combat. Sustaining a large-scale military campaign across the Middle East requires an enormous logistical infrastructure that includes intelligence systems, aerial refueling fleets, surveillance aircraft, and thousands of personnel stationed across regional bases.

U.S. forces supporting the campaign operate from installations stretching from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Gulf, underscoring the vast infrastructure required to maintain a regional military posture against Iran. Keeping that network of aircraft, naval deployments, and support systems running around the clock carries a steep price. A separate analysis by the Institute for Policy Studies estimated that the daily operating cost of aircraft operations, naval deployments, and supporting equipment tied to the campaign reached approximately $59.39 million per day, with maritime forces representing the largest share of those daily expenses.

Air operations add another major logistical burden. Statements from United States Central Command indicate the campaign has required continuous sorties by strike aircraft, reconnaissance platforms, and aerial refueling tankers operating across multiple theaters. These tankers allow fighters and bombers to remain airborne for extended missions across the region.

Beyond the aircraft themselves, the campaign depends on a broad support network of intelligence platforms, surveillance drones, and command-and-control systems coordinating operations across land, sea, and air. Maintaining this infrastructure requires thousands of personnel and a steady flow of fuel, spare parts, and munitions through regional supply chains.

These logistical requirements drive a large share of the war’s cost. Even when the pace of strikes fluctuates, the aircraft, ships, surveillance systems, and personnel supporting the campaign must remain in place and operating across the region. Maintaining this military infrastructure extends the financial burden of the war far beyond the battlefield.

Implications

For countries across the Middle East, the war’s impact is already being felt on multiple fronts. Escalating military activity, disrupted trade routes, and heightened security risks are already placing new economic and political pressures on regional states. At the same time, the fighting has brought mounting destruction to cities and critical infrastructure. Beyond the region, the conflict is also sending shockwaves through energy markets and the global balance of power, underscoring how a war in the Middle East can quickly disrupt the wider international economic and political order.