“It takes money to kill bad guys,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said as he sought $200 billion in funding for the Iran war in March. But the cost far exceeds money.
HUMAN COST
175
Number of Iranians killed in the February 28 US missile strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school, most of whom were children
3,291
Number of Iranians killed as of March 24 since the United States and Israel started the war
1,072
Number of people killed in Lebanon as of March 24
22
Number of people killed in the Gulf states as of March 25
18
Number of people killed in Israel as of March 25
Even before February 28, the reasons for Donald Trump’s imploding approval rating were abundantly clear: untrammeled corruption and personal enrichment to the tune of billions of dollars during an affordability crisis, a foreign policy guided only by his own derelict sense of morality, and the deployment of a murderous campaign of occupation, detention, and deportation on American streets.
Now an undeclared, unauthorized, unpopular, and unconstitutional war of aggression against Iran has spread like wildfire through the region and into Europe. A new “forever war”—with an ever-increasing likelihood of American troops on the ground—may very well be upon us.
As we’ve seen over and over, this administration uses lies, misdirection, and attempts to flood the zone to justify its abuses of power at home and abroad. Just as Trump, Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth offer erratic and contradictory rationales for the attacks on Iran, the administration is also spreading the lie that the upcoming midterm elections are under threat from noncitizens on voter rolls. When these lies go unchecked, they become the basis for further authoritarian encroachment and war.
In these dark times, independent journalism is uniquely able to uncover the falsehoods that threaten our republic—and civilians around the world—and shine a bright light on the truth.
The Nation’s experienced team of writers, editors, and fact-checkers understands the scale of what we’re up against and the urgency with which we have to act. That’s why we’re publishing critical reporting and analysis of the war on Iran, ICE violence at home, new forms of voter suppression emerging in the courts, and much more.
But this journalism is possible only with your support.
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13
Number of US service members killed as of March 16
3.2m
Number of Iranians who have been displaced as of March 12
1m
Number of people in Lebanon who have been displaced as of March 23
FINANCIAL COST
$16.5b
Amount spent by the United States during the first 12 days of the war
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$5.6b
Estimated value of munitions used during the first two days of the war
$3.5m
Estimated cost of one Tomahawk cruise missile
20%
Portion of the world’s oil and natural gas that passes through the Strait of Hormuz
30%
Portion of the world’s fertilizer exports that pass through the Strait of Hormuz
$119
Cost of a barrel of oil as of March 19
30–40%
Expected rise in the cost of fertilizer for farmers
GLOBAL COST
12
Number of countries Iran has struck in retaliation
5m
CO2 amount, in metric tons, emitted in the first two weeks of the war
56%
Portion of Americans who disapproved of the war two weeks after its start
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