The U.S. military says the war with Iran has cost at least $47.1 billion as of mid-October, even as President Trump considers launching new strikes on Iran after the Nov. 3 midterm elections.4,1
The Hill reported that the cost has risen by more than $3 billion since last month, and said the largest share, $29 billion, is for munition replacement.1
CBS News's headline attributes the estimate to the U.S. military, and CNBC described the costs as having reportedly ballooned to $47 billion. CNBC's headline also quoted Trump as saying the war will end 'when I want it to.'4,6
Salon, citing CNN reporting, said the president 'appears to be leaning toward major action,' and said Trump has mentioned in passing that he plans to 'finish the job' after the midterm elections. The Hill said Trump is mulling strikes against the Islamic Republic after the vote.3,1
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with diplomatic warnings, that Tehran has warned Gulf airports, pipelines and other civilian facilities could become targets if the United States and Israel renew their air campaign. The Daily Caller reported that the warnings follow a large American military buildup.5
The Journal also reported, citing people familiar with the communications, that Iranian officials have threatened to sink American warships and kill their crews, and have expanded threats against the economic infrastructure of neighboring Gulf countries. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told Drop Site News that Iran could target data centers, artificial intelligence facilities and undersea communications cables if fighting intensifies.5
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Brig. Gen. Yadollah Javani warned, according to the Iranian state broadcaster Press TV, that seven major undersea internet cables running through the Strait of Hormuz could become targets if American attacks damaged Iranian infrastructure. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a Financial Times opinion piece that further fighting could endanger civilians throughout the region and disrupt the global economy.5
The Daily Caller, citing a senior military official, reported that American military operations against Iran could rapidly intensify. Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation that "The forces pulling matters toward another round of war are much stronger than the forces pushing back."5
Pentagon casualty records as of Oct. 23, as cited by the Daily Caller, show 21 American service members have been killed in the war, 11 of them from hostile action, and 865 wounded. The Daily Caller also cited the Human Rights Activists News Agency as saying American and Israeli strikes have killed at least 3,636 people in Iran, including 1,701 civilians and at least 254 children. Those figures cover the fighting through April 7 and exclude casualties from subsequent offensives.5
The Daily Caller further reported that Iranian attacks killed at least 13 people in the United Arab Emirates, including 10 civilians, according to the UAE Ministry of Defense in May. It also reported that an Oct. 10 attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels at Saudi Arabia's main international airport in Riyadh killed 12 people, including an American citizen, and wounded 309, according to the Saudi Press Agency.5
Salon, in a commentary column, quoted a New York Times report warning of "heightened levels of tension and risk" surrounding Israel's parliamentary elections and the U.S. midterms. The column described the war as entering a more dangerous phase.3
The reports reviewed for this story do not say whether Trump has made a decision on new strikes, and none includes a direct White House response to the cost estimate. The Daily Caller's senior military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, offered a blunt assessment of what lies ahead: "Things are about to get spicy."5
