The Pentagon's Office of Inspector General has revealed that the United States spent an estimated $33.4 billion during the first four months of its military campaign against Iran, known as Operation Epic Fury, with munitions accounting for the largest share of the cost.

According to the report, which covers the period from February 28 to June 30, approximately $22.3 billion was spent on munitions, $7.4 billion on other operational expenses and $3.7 billion on lost military equipment. The estimate does not include the cost of repairing military infrastructure damaged during the conflict.

The report said US forces flew about 36,000 combat sorties during the period and struck roughly 13,500 targets across Iran as part of the operation.

The Pentagon's watchdog warned that the extensive use of precision-guided weapons has created strategic munitions shortfalls, exposing weaknesses in the US defence industrial base. It cited bottlenecks in the production of solid rocket motors, shortages of explosives and propellant components, and a lack of skilled workers as major obstacles to replenishing depleted stockpiles.

On June 24, the White House requested an additional $87.6 billion in emergency funding from Congress, including $67.1 billion for the Pentagon. Of that amount, $21 billion was earmarked for replenishing munitions used during the conflict.

The report also detailed US military casualties and equipment losses. Between February 28 and June 30, seven American service members were killed in combat, seven others died in non-combat incidents and 417 personnel were wounded. Four additional US service members were killed in July.

Among the losses, the report listed four F-15E fighter jets, around 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones and one AH-64 Apache helicopter, while seven KC-135 aerial refuelling aircraft were reported damaged or destroyed. Iranian attacks also damaged hundreds of buildings and facilities at US military bases across the Middle East, although the cost of repairing those installations has yet to be determined.

The findings represent the first comprehensive official assessment of the financial and military impact of Operation Epic Fury and underscore the growing strain the conflict has placed on US military resources, defence production and strategic readiness. (ILKHA)