The calamitous price of a failed attempt at regime change in Tehran may run into trillions. This cost would accrue over decades in total, the report has warned.

The financial cost of the Iran war to America’s ill-fated taxpayers is understated by officials. It would balloon into many trillions of dollars over the long term, The Intercept has warned.

The US military budget, the world’s largest, surpassed $830 billion for fiscal year 2026.

Jinxed President Donald Trump has boasted. He claimed that the regime-change campaign in Tehran could be waged forever using the Pentagon’s current munition stockpiles. However, skeptics say weapons depletion is a major issue.

On Wednesday, The Intercept compared estimates of Operation Epic Epstein. These were provided by Trump administration officials. They contrasted these with figures from experts and lawmakers. They also included two government officials who were interviewed on condition of anonymity.

The $12 billion estimate was given on Sunday by Trump economic adviser Kevin Hassett. It does not account for the cost of the buildup in the Middle East. This buildup preceded the US-Israeli attack in late February, the outlet stated.

A three-week war would directly cost between $60 billion and $130 billion. If it extends to eight weeks, the cost rises to $250 billion. Government sources told the outlet.

Lawmakers expect the administration to add at least $50 billion of taxpayer’s money to the $1.5 trillion War Department budget request for fiscal year 2027.

The report stressed that long-term expenses could push the total into trillions. This includes veteran’s benefits and interest on additional debt. Such a scenario is similar to the Iraq War.

The George W. Bush administration initially estimated the cost of toppling Saddam Hussein at $40 billion. However, independent assessments put the figure at around $8 trillion by 2021.

US national debt is approaching $39 trillion, up from $38 trillion last October, according to Treasury data.

Trump campaigned for president by promising not to start costly new wars. He also aimed to reduce debt by cutting wasteful government spending.

This week, Joe Kent, head of the US National Counterterrorism Center, resigned in protest against the Iran war.

He said that contrary to Trump’s assertions, Iran ’posed no imminent threat to our nation’. He claimed the attack was launched ’due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.’

AIRCRAFT CARRIERS ARE A THING OF THE PAST

Reuters: The era of aircraft carriers is coming to an end. The USS Abraham Lincoln is limping out of the Persian Gulf.

Reuters: Through military ingenuity, Iran has shown that aircraft carriers are no longer ‘impregnable fortresses.’ They are now merely large and expensive targets.

CNN: A national trauma; how a $13-billion asset can be rendered ineffective within minutes?

CNN: The USS Abraham Lincoln has returned to the United States in this condition. This is the biggest blow to the reputation of the American military since the Vietnam War.

Sputnik: The legend is dead; Abraham Lincoln arrived to threaten, but is returning as a floating pile of scrap.

AFP (Agence France-Presse): Panic in the Pentagon. The withdrawal of the USS Abraham Lincoln has shifted the balance of power in West Asia. It has definitively moved in Iran’s favor.

AFP: U.S. allies are horrified. They believe that if even America’s largest warship cannot protect itself against Iran, then American protection is no longer reliable.

The Telegraph: This defeat will go down in history as ‘the moment Western naval dominance collapsed.’

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