DOMINANT ANGLE
Paris is interpreting an embarrassing setback for Washington: the Pentagon is finally acknowledging the ammunition shortage that Donald Trump had denied for months, while Congress is estimating the war against Iran at 38 billion dollars.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The Pentagon estimates the cost of the operation between February 28 and June 30, 2026, to be $33.4 billion (including $22.3 billion in ammunition), according to its inspector general.
- 02
The CBO estimates the total cost of the conflict to be $38 billion as of early August, with a possible increase of $2 to $3 billion per month depending on the intensity of the fighting.
- 03
Donald Trump had stated in early September that the United States had "practically unlimited quantities of ammunition", a claim contradicted by the Pentagon's report published on September 14.
ANALYSIS
Paris, September 16, 2026. The French press is devoting most of its coverage to an embarrassing rebuke for the Trump administration. In a report published on Monday, September 14, the US Department of Defense acknowledged, for the first time, a "shortage" of ammunition related to the war against Iran, a finding that the Trump administration had nonetheless refused to confirm, or even denied, in recent months, notes Le Monde.
According to the Pentagon's inspector general, Operation "Epic Fury" cost approximately $33.4 billion (29 billion euros) between February 28 and June 30, including $22.3 billion solely in expended ammunition. The document is cited as follows: "Ammunition expenditures during [this operation] have caused a shortage in strategic inventories and revealed bottlenecks within industries for the renewal of ammunition."
This finding directly contradicts statements made by Donald Trump, who claimed in July that the country had "enormous quantities of ammunition," and then, in early September, "practically unlimited quantities." The press recalls that this shortage had nonetheless, according to several American press reports, led the president to abandon plans to renew large-scale attacks against Tehran during the summer. BFMTV summarizes: the report reveals "insufficient production capacities, despite Donald Trump's repeated denials."
The Pentagon also details the material toll: despite the massive use of interceptors, Iranian strikes damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and installations on American bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan. Le Monde also reports the destruction of four American fighter jets.
These figures are in addition to a separate estimate from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a non-partisan agency: $38 billion spent since the conflict began until early August, with a monthly bill that could rise to an additional two or three billion dollars depending on the intensity of the fighting, notes Sud Ouest.
SOURCES (4)
- Sud OuestMEDIUM
- HuffPost FranceMEDIUM
- BFMTVMEDIUM
