The Economic Cost of War: The Mounting Burden of Billions of Dollars
Massive Spending on Weaponry and Military Resources
Oil Crises and Inflation: A Direct Impact on the Average American
Loss of Life and the Return of Troops: The Human Toll of War
Rising Public Outrage in the Middle East and America's Global Image
Threats to Global Trade, Investment, and Security
A Protracted Conflict: Will History Repeat the Lessons of Vietnam and Iraq?
Will This War Prove Suicidal for the United States?
An Analysis of the Rising Costs of a US-Iran War—Examining its Far-Reaching Impacts on Military Spending, Inflation, the Oil Crisis, Human Casualties, and Global Politics.
The cost of the US-Iran war
By Justice Markandey Katju
Despite initial American expectations of a quick victory, the US-Iran war has now been going on for almost 3 weeks now, with no end in sight, as Iranians have refused to surrender or negotiate, but are instead heroically fighting back with missile and drone strikes on Israel and US bases and assets.
What will this cost America ? Here is an assessment.
1. Wars are expensive affairs, and the American public will have to pay the bill for it ( in the form of increased taxation and rising gasoline prices ).
These are some estimates :
During the conflict, the U.S. has used hundreds of missiles — including Tomahawks and Patriots — with price tags around $4 million each. The U.S. has also lost incredibly expensive military equipment, including three fighter jets that cost around $100 million each, and more than $2 billion worth of U.S. radar systems in the region. The Pentagon has told the US Congress that the first week of the war cost $11.3 billion dollars, and it is seeking an additional $ 200 billion dollars for the war
In private briefings, the Trump administration has conceded that the war could be costing nearly $2 billion per day. That number may increase markedly if the U.S. puts boots on the ground, something Trump hasn’t ruled out. And even without a major land component, the fact that the president keeps expanding U.S. war aims could mean an open-ended conflict with no clear conclusion in sight, which would multiply the ultimate costs enormously.
2. Beyond the cost of munitions and military hardware, Americans are already feeling the effects of the war at the gas pump ( by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by the Iranians and their attacks on oil refineries in the Middle East), and rising food prices could soon follow as the war disrupts global trade. Mortgage rates in America are climbing, amid renewed inflation threats. And, stock markets have fallen as concerns grow about the war’s wider economic impact.
3. As of mid-March 2026, reports on U.S. soldier fatalities in the conflict with Iran vary. While some sources report approximately 13 to 14 U.S. military personnel killed, with around 200 wounded during the initial weeks of the 2026 Iran war, other reports, including claims from Iranian officials, suggest higher casualties, alleging hundreds were killed in retaliatory strikes. Whatever may be the truth ( and in war truth is the first casualty ), there can be no doubt that if this war drags on, as it seems likely to do, a large number of body bags containing bodies of dead US soldiers will start coming back to America to be received by wailing relatives, seething with anger over a war which appears meaningless and/or unwarranted ( like the Vietnam or Iraq wars ).
4. The rulers in middle east countries are no doubt US puppets ( except in Iran ), but the people there are almost all supporters of Iran, who are deeply incensed by the unprovoked sneak US-Israeli attack on Iran even when discussions were going on in Geneva. This is going to have long term implications for America.
Not only Hezbollah in Lebanon has resorted to armed strikes against Israeli and US targets, others like the Houthis in Yemen and Iraqis may follow suit. It will be dangerous for American civilians in the future to go to the middle east, lest they be attacked. Also, America's huge investment in, and trade with, middle east countries may be seriously jeopardized
The cost on Americans by this uncalled for and unjustified war is soon likely to escalate, and become unbearable, provoking massive protests and demonstrations all over the country, as it happened during the Vietnam war.
President Trump may soon have to get off his high horse.
(Justice Markandey Katju is a former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, and former Chairman of the Press Council of India. The views expressed are his own.)
