The "Iran war" has drained $3.34 billion from the US budget; the Pentagon indicates a growing arms shortage.

The Pentagon revealed that a "war against Iran" would have consumed over $3.34 billion in the U.S. budget, leaving a shortage of strategic weapons while the production of replacement weapons remains limited.

On September 15, 2026, at 1:32 PM, CNBC reported that the U.S. Department of Defense revealed that a war with Iran had cost the U.S. approximately $3.34 billion as of June 29, 2026. The extensive use of weapons and equipment during conflict has resulted in strategic shortages of certain types of weapons , reflecting limitations in the industrial base's ability to produce replacement weapons.

This information is included in a Lead Inspector General report submitted by the U.S. Department of Defense to Congress, which tracks the situation in the Iran war up to the end of June.

The report states that Iranian attacks damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures within U.S. military bases in the Middle East, and also damaged or destroyed dozens of U.S. aircraft.

Of the total war cost of $3.34 billion, approximately $184 million was lost to physical damage to U.S. diplomatic sites in four countries—Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—from Iranian attacks.

The report also states that the massive use of weapons by the United States during conflicts has resulted in a shortage of weapons in the strategic arsenal and exposed a bottleneck in the defense industry's ability to produce and procure replacements.

Prior to the report's release, President Donald Trump stated that the United States was producing more advanced and effective weapons than at any other time in history.

Regarding aircraft damage, the report revealed that one F-35A fifth-generation stealth fighter jet was damaged by an enemy attack. This marks the first time this model has been damaged in combat. Each F-35A costs approximately $92 million.

In addition, four F-15E fighter jets and one A-10 ground attack aircraft were destroyed by the end of June, while seven KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft were damaged or destroyed.

The United States also lost seven helicopters and more than 30 drones in the conflict.

According to U.S. Air Force data, the F-15E cost approximately $31.1 million per aircraft in 2541. The damage to the F-35A is another significant issue, as it marked the first time that this fighter jet was reported to have been damaged by enemy attacks in a real combat situation.

The latest figures reflect that, in addition to the tens of billions of dollars in financial costs from the Iran war, the conflict is also putting pressure on the U.S. military readiness, particularly on maintaining arsenals and the industry's ability to accelerate weapons production to replace those used in the fighting.

Reference: cnbc.com

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