Day 2: Iran Fights Back — $1.6 Billion in US Equipment Destroyed

On March 1 — just 24 hours into the war — Iran demonstrated that this would not be the easy, one-sided bombardment that Washington may have expected. Iranian retaliatory strikes destroyed over $1.6 billion worth of advanced US military equipment in a single day, while the US continued pouring missiles into Iran at a staggering rate.

Iran's Defensive Response

Iran exercised its right to self-defense under international law, striking back at the military bases being used to attack it:

In a single day, Iran's retaliatory strikes cost the US more in equipment losses than the entire pre-war buildup. The AN/FPS-132 — at $1.1 billion — was the single most expensive piece of equipment destroyed in the war, and part of America's global ballistic missile early-warning network.

In a single day, Iran's retaliatory strikes cost the US more in equipment losses than the entire pre-war buildup.

The US Doubles Down

Rather than reconsidering the wisdom of this war, the US escalated further:

• Second wave of ~100 Tomahawk missiles launched in DEAD/SEAD operations (Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses): $180 million
• GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator strikes on Fordow, Iran's enrichment facility built deep inside a mountain: $28 million. Each GBU-57 weighs 30,000 pounds and costs $3.5 million.
• Naval strikes destroying 9 Iranian vessels: $75 million
• PrSM missiles fired from HIMARS launchers — first-ever combat use of this new weapon system: $50 million

The Civilian Toll Continues to Rise

In Tehran, at least 20 more civilians were killed by US strikes on Day 2. The cumulative civilian death toll climbed past 220 in just 48 hours. Hospitals in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz were overwhelmed with casualties.

The Iranian people — who had been living under severe US sanctions for years — now faced bombs from the same country that had been strangling their economy. The cruelty of this compound punishment is difficult to overstate.

Running Cost Total: Day 2

By the end of March 1, the estimated total cost of Operation Epic Fury had surpassed $2 billion, including:

• $630 million in pre-war buildup
• $779 million in Day 1 operations
• $333+ million in Day 2 strike operations
• $1.64 billion in equipment destroyed by Iranian counterstrikes

Two days in, and the war had already cost more than NASA's entire James Webb Space Telescope program.