Middle East

The Hill - President Trump this week declared the war in Iran “effectively over” militarily and “won” by the U.S. But he did so as American taxpayers are footing the bill for billions of dollars in operational costs to keep the country’s troops at the ready overseas. 

The war is no longer making top headlines, and firing between the U.S. and Iran is not taking place on a daily basis. Yet the U.S. has a large presence in the region and is effectively in a war posture, despite the president’s remarks, which come after a midterm shellacking for his party driven in part by voter unhappiness over the war.

“We won. Now the question is when we want to end. We must have a total victory. Not a 93 percent victory. It’s going to be total,” Trump said Wednesday in remarks during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. 

A few days prior in a surprise visit to the White House briefing room, Trump declared: “Iran militarily is effectively over. We’re just keeping it the status quo.”

The total cost of the fight as of Oct. 16 is estimated at $47.1 billion, including $38 billion accrued from when the war began on Feb. 28 up until the start of August, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).