JAKARTA - The United States government has spent nearly 29 billion dollars on military operations against Iran, said Deputy Secretary of War and Chief Financial Officer Jules W. Hurst III on Tuesday (12/5).
The amount is equivalent to approximately 507 trillion rupiah at a rate of 17,500 per US dollar.
"At the time of the previous testimony, the amount was 25 billion US dollars. However, the joint team of staff and budget supervisors continues to update the estimate, and now we estimate it is approaching 29 billion US dollars. This is due to the cost of repairing and replacing equipment, as well as general operating costs to keep troops in the field," Hurst said in a hearing of the US House of Representatives' Defense Appropriations Committee, as reported by Antara from Sputnik.
The conflict between the US and Iran erupted on February 28, when Washington together with Israel launched an air strike against targets in Iran that caused major damage and civilian casualties.
Iran then retaliated, triggering an escalation that nearly halted traffic in the Strait of Hormuz - a vital route for the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
As a result, energy prices have skyrocketed and added pressure on the global economy.
Since then, President Donald Trump's administration has expanded military operations on the grounds of maintaining regional security and pressuring Iran's capabilities.
Washington also stressed that the operation was aimed at weakening Tehran's military and economic capacity.
Hurst stressed that operating costs continue to increase as the conflict drags on.
The US government is now facing a major fiscal challenge, while Congress demands transparency over the use of defense budgets.
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