[The Editors' Verdict] The Invoice for the Iran War

Junho Hwang, International Chief Reporter

The United States, the world’s most powerful nation, has fought a war for over 100 days but failed to change the Iranian regime. Although the leadership, including former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran as a dictator for 27 years, was removed, his son Mojtaba Khamenei survived. The theocratic regime has since been rebuilt around him.

The Strait of Hormuz has become a temporarily toll-free route. According to the memorandum of understanding (MOU), no passage fees will be charged for only 60 days, during which negotiations between the two countries are underway. This has rendered U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration that the Strait of Hormuz could be crossed freely after the end-of-war announcement meaningless. This strait was a toll-free sea route before the United States and Israel invaded Iran on February 28.

Whether Iran will abandon its nuclear program now depends on the outcome of upcoming negotiations. The leading proposal is to dilute and process highly enriched uranium within Iran and allow unannounced inspections. Former U.S. President Barack Obama pointed out that this is no different from the nuclear agreement reached during his administration. President Trump has consistently criticized former President Obama for handing out cash to Iran in pursuit of a nuclear deal favorable to the country.

Although President Trump claimed to have ended the war with Iran, none of the reasons he cited for the war have actually been achieved. Instead, only astronomical costs have been incurred. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a U.S. think tank, estimated that the direct costs borne by the U.S. Department of Defense due to the Iran war amount to about 40 billion dollars (approximately 61 trillion won). This figure is based on newly incurred direct costs. If the existing operational costs, such as personnel and equipment operations already reflected in the U.S. defense budget, are included, the total would be much greater.

Despite not having secured any spoils of war, the U.S. has decided to create a reconstruction fund worth 300 billion dollars to support Iran. It will also permit the financial transactions Iran needs, exemptions from sanctions, and access to frozen assets. The talks held after the MOU was signed resulted only in establishing a 60-day negotiation roadmap and opening communication channels.

The war has now shifted into a debate. Even the ruling Republican Party is voicing frustration, asking, “Why did we start this war in the first place?” Neighboring countries affected by the war in Iran likely have the same question. The American public, facing the possibility of an interest rate hike within the year due to inflation, and Koreans struggling with gasoline prices fluctuating above 2,000 won per liter, are also eager for answers.

Hanson Baldwin, a mid-20th century American historian and military commentator, wrote in his 1949 book “The Price of Victory” that “losers pay the price of defeat in war. But in modern war, even the victors pay the price of victory.” If we accept the bill for this war as it stands, a harsh price is inevitable. The Trump administration has just 60 days left to come up with an answer. The November midterm elections are just around the corner.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.