AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The New York Times, in a report, announced that the 107-day U.S. war against Iran has so far imposed at least $132 billion in costs on the U.S. economy. This figure, in addition to direct military expenses, includes the economic consequences of rising energy prices, raw materials, interest rates, and inflationary pressures, and according to experts, these costs are likely to increase as the war's effects continue.
According to the report, the increase in gasoline prices resulting from the conflict alone has imposed approximately $60 billion in additional costs on American consumers. As a result, each American household has paid an average of about $460 more for fuel than during the pre-war period.
The New York Times attributed the rise in fuel prices to the disruption of commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz following Iranian attacks. According to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA), the average price of gasoline in the United States has risen from $2.98 per gallon before the war to about $4.00 in current conditions.
The report adds that rising oil prices have also increased the cost of transporting raw materials and goods, leading to heightened inflation in the United States. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index increased by 0.5 percent in the latest month compared to the previous month, and by 4.2 percent compared to the same period last year. Energy prices also rose by 3.9 percent year-over-year, accounting for more than 60 percent of the inflation increase. Food prices rose by 3.1 percent compared to last year, and the cost of dining out increased by 0.3 percent in just one month.
On the military front, the U.S. Department of Defense's report to the House of Representatives estimated that military operations related to Iran have so far cost approximately $29 billion. This figure does not include the cost of repairing over a dozen U.S. military bases damaged in Iranian attacks, nor the cost of replacing expended munitions and damage to some U.S. assets in Saudi Arabia, which will be calculated separately.
The New York Times also emphasized that with the continued deployment of U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups in the Middle East and the maintenance of operational readiness of forces and equipment stationed in the region, the costs of the war will continue to rise. Linda Bilmes, a professor of public finance at Harvard University, also stated that maintaining forces and equipment in combat readiness has consumed vast financial resources, and the cost of rebuilding depleted munitions stockpiles will likely far exceed the initial purchase cost of these weapons.
The report also pointed to the extensive human and economic consequences of the war, writing that during the conflict, approximately 3,500 people in Iran, 3,700 in Lebanon, 26 in Israel, and 13 American soldiers lost their lives. According to the report, the destruction of a children's school in Iran, which resulted in the deaths of 175 people, was among the deadliest incidents of this war.
Additionally, the U.S. military killed three Indian civilian sailors in an attack on a commercial vessel near Oman, leading to increased tensions between the United States and India.
The New York Times further addressed the consequences of the war on global markets, noting that the disruption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz drove oil prices up to about $120 per barrel. The shortage of sulfur, as one of the primary raw materials for fertilizer production, has also raised concerns about global food security, with experts warning of rising food prices, worsening food inflation, and the spread of hunger worldwide.
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