Operation Epic Fury costs the United States nearly $1 billion a day

A CSIS analysis highlights the financial burden of the U.S. military campaign against Iran during the first days of the offensive launched on February 28

Operation Epic Fury costs the United States nearly $1 billion a day, according to an analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies examining the first phase of the military offensive launched by Donald Trump against Iran.

The study focuses on the first five days of the campaign that began on February 28, when the United States and Israel initiated coordinated strikes against targets linked to the Iranian military. As the operation approaches the end of its first week, the figures compiled by the think tank provide an early estimate of the financial burden of the campaign.

In just over 100 hours from the start of the offensive, the military campaign has cost Washington approximately $3.7 billion. That translates to nearly $900 million per day, according to the CSIS analysis.

Less than $200 million is linked to operational expenses already included in the defense budget overseen by the U.S. Department of Defense under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The largest share of the spending—estimated at $3.54 billion—will likely require additional funding from the Pentagon, the analysts said, noting that new legislative measures could be needed to cover the costs.

In the long term, the most significant financial burden of the campaign may come from maintaining adequate supplies of ammunition throughout the operation. The offensive, according to the initial timeline indicated by Trump, was expected to last four to five weeks.

“We can go beyond that without any problem,” the president said. “We have enough weapons,” Hegseth has repeatedly stated.

However, according to several U.S. media reports, the situation may be more complex. One of the main concerns involves the use of interceptor missiles to counter Iranian drones.

Discussions are reportedly underway with Ukraine about acquiring lower-cost defensive systems. Ukrainian forces, which have been confronting Iranian-designed Shahed drones for years, have developed interception solutions costing only a few thousand dollars.

The cost imbalance is significant: drones launched by Iran are estimated to cost around $30,000 each, while interceptor missiles such as the Patriot PAC‑3 missile used in the Patriot missile defense system cost more than $13.5 million per unit.

Pentagon accounts are also affected by additional expenses tied to incidents involving three fighter jets in Kuwait, which have added hundreds of millions of dollars to the overall cost of the operation.

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(con fonte AdnKronos)