A new estimate by the U.S. Central Command shows that the military cost of the war with Iran has reached 43.6 billion dollars as of September 12. This is the latest official estimate of the wartime costs that began on March 9 with attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran.

The Associated Press reported that the cost of weapons consumed in the war during just over a month increased from $21.7 billion to $28.1 billion and now accounts for more than half of all U.S. military spending.

The U.S. Congressional Budget Office had previously estimated the cost of the war through August 10 at more than $38 billion and said that continuing the fighting, depending on its intensity, could cost about three billion dollars per month or more.

The new estimate includes the cost of operating ships, aircraft and military bases, equipment lost, and medical services for troops, but does not calculate the damage caused by attacks by the Islamic Republic on U.S. bases in the Middle East.

Based on Pentagon figures, so far 18 American forces have been killed in the course of the war and more than 830 people have been injured.