Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth estimated the cost of the Iran war to date at $37.5 billion at a contentious hearing on Tuesday. He told lawmakers that the Trump administration needed almost twice as much to continue military operations in the coming months.
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Hegseth’s new estimate, revealed at a Senate Budget Committee hearing, is higher than the roughly $30 billion figure presented to lawmakers earlier this month. The Defense Department is asking Congress for $67 billion in additional funding.
NBC News reported this month that the Defense Department’s total internal costs for the war so far are $80 billion to $100 billion, including the cost of repairing damaged U.S. military bases, replacing destroyed aircraft and fully replenishing American weapons, according to three U.S. officials.
The Pentagon’s acting comptroller told lawmakers that the estimate, which has not been updated since April, takes into account the cost of replenishing munitions, but not rebuilding bases.
Hegseth said his estimate includes payroll, operations, maintenance and other “anticipated” costs through the end of the fiscal year.
He appeared before lawmakers as Iran’s war intensified again after an April ceasefire deal collapsed. President Donald Trump has promised further retaliation following the recent killing of three US soldiers.
Increasing attacks by Iranian forces and the U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz have also brought shipping to a near standstill, according to data on Tuesday, as the two countries continue to battle for control of the crucial trade route.
Senate Democrats clashed with Hegseth on Tuesday over a lack of progress in a war that Trump repeatedly claimed the U.S. had already won.
“You’re asking the American people for a blank check because the Trump administration’s efforts to win this war so far have completely failed once again,” said Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich. “So my question to you is: How is your strategy different from what we have seen in the past?”
Hegseth responded: “Your description of this incredible achievement as a failure is reckless and I think it is irresponsible.”
The administration is demanding more money after approving $891 billion to run the Pentagon through September 30. Trump is separately requesting $1.5 trillion for the 2027 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.
Trump and Hegseth’s descriptions of the war diverged Tuesday, with Hegseth in the awkward position of demanding more money to fight an opponent that Trump has repeatedly said is militarily defeated.
“I certainly recognize that they still have skills,” Hegseth said in an exchange with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. “But the amount of damage we’ve done to them over time This series of operations has put them in the worst situation they have ever been in.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/iran-war-cost-estimate-37-billion-pete-hegseth-senate-hearing-rcna588619
