US deploys over 50,000 troops during Iran war as Pentagon report reveals $38 billion cost

The US military has deployed more than 50,000 service members to the Central Command region since launching Operation Epic Fury against Iran, according to a Pentagon Inspector General report released in mid-September 2026. The operation, which began on February 28, has already cost American taxpayers roughly $38 billion and resulted in 18 US personnel killed in action.

The Lead Inspector General report to Congress offers the most comprehensive accounting yet of a conflict that has quietly escalated into one of the largest US military engagements in over a decade.

The cost of conflict

War costs hit $33.4 billion through June 29, 2026, then climbed to approximately $38 billion by August 1. More than $22 billion of that total has gone to munitions alone. The report highlights severe shortfalls in ammunition stockpiles and logistical bottlenecks that have challenged US forces throughout the campaign.

Eighteen US service members have been confirmed killed, with hundreds more wounded in the opening months of operations. Iranian strikes have damaged hundreds of buildings and dozens of aircraft at US bases spanning eight countries, including Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

600 attacks and a massive evacuation

Iran has carried out more than 600 attacks on US facilities in Iraq, either directly from Iranian territory or through proxy forces. The Pentagon also oversaw the evacuation of approximately 9,000 American citizens from the region during the early months of the war.

A strained military and uncertain trajectory

The munitions shortfall is particularly worrying. The $22 billion spent on ordnance through early August suggests the US is burning through precision-guided weapons at a rate that defense industrial capacity may struggle to sustain.

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