# How Iran is wasting American resources

An episode of [The Indicator from Planet Money](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1320118593), 19 Mar 2026, 8:53.

Audio: https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/play.podtrac.com/npr-510325/npr.simplecastaudio.com/0a4e8d3b-fe23-4948-9e39-20fcf16f9331/episodes/7ab6bc2c-fede-4e6a-92d1-a8a9b5d389df/audio/128/default.mp3?awCollectionId=0a4e8d3b-fe23-4948-9e39-20fcf16f9331&awEpisodeId=7ab6bc2c-fede-4e6a-92d1-a8a9b5d389df&feed=IFy3imsg&t=podcast&e=nx-s1-5752454&p=510325&d=533&size=8542755

Iran is using an affordable strategy to even the playing field in the war with the U.S. It’s using drones that cost in the thousands of dollars to combat American missiles that cost several million. Military analysts have already signaled concern about the U.S. producing enough munitions, and this isn’t helping. Today on the show, why the U.S. spends so much on munitions and what it’s learning from Iran. Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.to/pm-book-tour. Related episodes: Are we overpaying for military equipment? Can Just-In-Time handle a new era of war? A trucker, a farmer, and an entrepreneur walk into a global supply shock Are we overpaying for military equipment? For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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