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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi published two U.S. economic charts on X on Friday, alongside the statement: "The Pentagon is lying. Netanyahu's gamble has directly cost America $100 billion so far, four times what is claimed."
"Indirect costs for U.S. taxpayers are FAR higher. Monthly bill for each American household is $500 and rising fast," he added.
"Israel First always means America Last," Iran's top diplomat said.
Araghchi's post directly contested the Pentagon's official $25 billion war cost figure presented by acting comptroller Jules Hurst to Congress on Wednesday, claiming the true direct cost was $100 billion.
The first chart, published by Axios using Gallup data, showed the share of Americans saying their financial situation was getting worse at 55% in 2026, the highest level recorded in the 25-year dataset.
The figure exceeds the peak of the 2008-2009 financial crisis (approximately 49%) and the COVID-19 recession (approximately 50% in 2020).
The second chart, sourced from the White House Office of Management and Budget, Treasury Department and Commerce Department Bureau of Economic Analysis, showed U.S. publicly held debt as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) approaching 98% as of March 31, 2026, nearing World War II-era levels of over 100% of GDP last seen in the mid-1940s.
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