{
  "id": 7773951,
  "title": "Trump may insist war in Iran is ‘small potatoes’—but it’s costing $3 billion a month, with $38 billion already spent, reports budget watchdog",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/trump-may-insist-war-in-iran-is-small-potatoes-but-its-costing-3",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-16T10:41:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/09/16/trump-iran-conflict-congressional-budget-office-cost-estimate/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that as of August 1, 2026, the military intervention in Iran had cost the Department of Defense approximately $38 billion. This figure includes expenses such as replacing lost munitions and equipment, increased flying hours, fuel costs, and other operations. However, it does not incorporate the basic running costs of the military involved in the conflict or the increased costs faced by other federal departments, like the postal service due to higher fuel prices. If the conflict continues, costs are expected to rise, potentially reaching $3 billion per month if tensions escalate, based on CBO projections.\n\nPresident Trump maintains that the conflict in Iran is not a major war, describing it as \"small potatoes\" and noting that it involves a relatively small number of U.S. service members compared to past conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite this, the financial burden on the federal budget and households is substantial. Moody’s estimated that the war costs consumers $750 per household, totaling around $100 billion. These costs stem from increased military spending and supply chain disruptions caused by the conflict.",
  "summary": "These funds reflect the cost of replacing expended munitions and equipment lost in battle, the CBO wrote, as well as increased flying hours, increased fuel costs, and \"other operations.\"",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "Seven Republicans join Democrats to limit Trump’s Iran war powers: Who are they?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/seven-republicans-join-democrats-to-limit-trumps-iran-war-powers-who",
        "published": "2026-09-16T11:14:58.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}