Democrats demanded that the Pentagon disclose the "real cost" of the war with Iran

Democrats from the Armed Services Committee in the US Senate are demanding that the US Department of War publicly disclose the real cost of the war with Iran. This was reported on October 19 by the USA Today newspaper with reference to a letter from Democratic senators addressed to the head of the Central Command, Brad Cooper.

According to the newspaper, five senators in their letter demanded that the Pentagon provide the public with data on all financial losses of the United States during the conflict, including damage caused to American military bases in the Middle East, as well as how much their restoration would cost.

"During a recent closed briefing, you provided the Senate Armed Services Committee with information on the estimated cost of damage to US bases and facilities. However, this figure should not be available only to lawmakers — the American people have the right to know what an unauthorized war ultimately cost," the letter says.

In early September, the Central Command reported that the war with Iran had cost $43.6 billion. However, this amount did not include the amount of damage caused to US military bases in the Middle East.

"This war has caused significant damage to the critical infrastructure of the United States in the region. The damage caused to Allied bases and facilities has also increased the costs of this war for our regional partners and put American military personnel at risk," the senators wrote.

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The Intercept portal reported on October 6 that the damage from strikes on American military bases in the Middle East turned out to be so significant that the United States may not restore its previous level of military presence in the region. According to the portal, dozens of American military aircraft were damaged or destroyed during the conflict. Among them are four F-15 fighter jets, 12 KC-135 tanker aircraft and 30 MQ-9 Reaper attack drones. The consequences of the attacks affected the work of key American military installations in the region.