War in the Middle East: the cost reaches 6 billion euros

Published on: April 22, 2026 09:09

According to the alert committee on public finances, France has already spent 6 billion euros on the Middle East war. This is mainly due to the weight of the debt.

For weeks, France has been present in the Middle East with its Rafale monitoring the airspace and the Charles de Gaulle in the Mediterranean. It is one of the biggest expenses in the current conflict in Iran, but it does not stop there. According to Bercy’s estimation, the war costs 6 billion euros to the public finances.

The cause is the weight of the debt. Since the beginning of the conflict, France has been borrowing more expensively. “We were around 3.2% at the end of February, at the start of the war. The rate then rises to 3.90%. This is the highest level since 2009. Then, a calming occurs with the gradual decline in oil prices and the opening of negotiations in Iran,” explains Alexandre Baradez, head of market analysis for the IG broker.

Result: an additional 3.6 billion euros. The weight of the debt further burdens the budget. In addition to this, there is one billion euros for the Defence military expenditures, as well as slowed growth. The French consume less, which means less tax revenue for the state. And finally, fuel subsidies.

To compensate for these additional costs, the state will cut its expenses. “The compensation, in principle, would amount to 4 billion for the state, an additional savings, and 2 billion in additional savings on social security. We are thinking of freezing credits that could be allocated in certain ministries, and then it means cutting back on certain public policies, it means that these are also quite strong decisions,” says Mathieu Plane, economist and deputy director of the OFCE. If the war in the Middle East intensifies, its cost to our public finances could be reassessed and increased.