{"id":35504,"date":"2026-03-12T17:39:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T21:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/first-week-of-u-s-iran-conflict-cost-america-over-11-billion\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T17:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T21:39:13","slug":"first-week-of-u-s-iran-conflict-cost-america-over-11-billion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/first-week-of-u-s-iran-conflict-cost-america-over-11-billion\/","title":{"rendered":"First Week of U.S.-Iran Conflict Cost America Over $11 Billion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 We’ve all wondered at some point: “What else could I have purchased with that money instead?”<\/p>

Military conflicts raise the same question on a much larger scale.<\/p>

During the opening seven days of the Trump administration’s military engagement with Iran, America spent over $11.3 billion \u2014 a sum that could have purchased countless alternatives. When numbers reach such astronomical heights, they become difficult to comprehend. The Associated Press has calculated what this enormous expenditure could have bought when divided into smaller, more relatable purchases.<\/p>

Associated Press correspondent Lisa Mascaro from Washington provided additional reporting. Additional graphics covering the U.S.-Iran military engagement are available online, where this breakdown will also appear.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The opening week of military action between the United States and Iran during the Trump administration carried a price tag exceeding $11.3 billion. The Associated Press breaks down what that massive sum could have purchased to help put the enormous cost into perspective.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":35503,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[833],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773351553456.jpg?fit=1000%2C1392&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-9eE","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":40796,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/treasury-chief-america-has-adequate-funding-for-iran-military-operations\/","url_meta":{"origin":35504,"position":0},"title":"Treasury Chief: America Has Adequate Funding for Iran Military Operations","author":"Admin","date":"March 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated Sunday that the United States possesses sufficient financial resources to support military operations against Iran. 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