PNN – Al Jazeera has examined the deep gap between the Pentagon’s official statistics and the economic realities of the war in a report.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, Al Jazeera news network has examined the deep gap between the Pentagon’s official statistics and the economic realities of the war with Iran in an analytical report. The report reveals that, contrary to the Trump administration’s claim of a $25 billion cost, the true extent of the damage could reach $1 trillion. Some of the main points of the report are as follows:
- Concealment of True Costs
While the Pentagon has put the cost of the war at $25 billion, leading economists and Democratic leaders have called this a “deceptive estimate.” They believe the true cost is between $630 billion and $1 trillion, including the devastating impact on the domestic economy and the livelihoods of 330 million Americans.
- Imbalance in the Mathematics of War
One of Iran’s greatest strategic successes has been to impose a “cheap war of attrition” on the United States. The US military has been forced to fire $4 million worth of Patriot missiles to shoot down the Shahed drones (worth $50,000); in the first four days of the war, more Patriot missiles were used than Ukraine’s entire stockpile of the last four years.
- Heavy Strikes on Regional Bases
Despite the silence of official officials, reports indicate that Iran’s missile and drone attacks on US bases in Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan have caused damage far beyond imagination. The cost of repairs to the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain alone is estimated to be over $200 million.
- Fuel and livelihood crisis in the US
Iran’s success in controlling the Strait of Hormuz and blocking ports has pushed gasoline prices in the US to a record $4.23 per gallon. This has caused Trump’s approval rating to fall to an unprecedented 22 percent in his second term.
- A legacy of long-term costs
Analysts warn that the “tip of the iceberg” of costs includes caring for veterans and replacing empty weapons stockpiles. With a defense budget of $1.5 trillion requested for next year, the war is the largest US military expansion since World War II.
- Conclusion
The Al Jazeera report shows that the United States is caught in a financial impasse, where Iran, at a small cost, has managed to confront the US war machine and domestic economy with a trillion-dollar challenge, the consequences of which will haunt Washington for decades.