The hidden costs of the Iran war

The costs of the Iran war are starting to pile up for the United States. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress last week that the conflict has cost the country $37.5 billion so far — about $8 billion more than the Pentagon estimated in May. Replenishing munitions and repairing US bases damaged by Iranian strikes, he said, will require an additional $67 billion in emergency funds from Congress.

But those aren’t the only costs mounting.

According to researchers at Brown University’s Watson School of International and Public Affairs, US consumers have spent nearly $74 billion more on gasoline and diesel since the war began in February and Iran started disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The researchers estimate that, absent any other major disruptions to energy prices, the average US household has paid an additional $562 for fuel because of the conflict.

The impact is especially visible at the pump. The national average price for a gallon of regular gas is now about $4.11. Without the war, Brown estimates it would be closer to $3.38.