U.S. national debt grows by almost $450 billion amid conflict with Iran

Amid the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, the U.S. national debt grew to 39.2 trillion dollars.

This is reported by the newspaper Izvestia, citing data from US Debt Clock.

As the conflict with Iran drags on, the federal treasury debt soared by 450 billion dollars — this was influenced by increased defense spending, including supplies of equipment and ammunition, as well as the budget deficit and interest on obligations.

As stated on May 12 by Pentagon representative Jules Hurst, U.S. expenses on the operation against Iran approached 29 billion dollars. However, real spending may be higher — according to analyst Yuri Ichkitidze of Freedom Finance Global, the total expenses of the American treasury for March-April 2026 amounted to almost 1.2 trillion, and 146 billion was allocated to national defense — six percent more than a year earlier.

Growth of the U.S. national debt is a stable trend. However, in the case of a protracted military conflict and a significant increase in military spending, the national debt will grow faster, admitted Olga Belenkaya, head of the macroeconomic analysis department at FG Finam. The conflict around Iran has already led to growth in oil prices and acceleration of inflation, and servicing the U.S. national debt may turn it into an effectively bottomless debt pit, believes financial markets expert Olga Gogaladze.

Source: Lenta.ru