The United States’ war in Iran has cost US$37.5 billion so far, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday, an increase of nearly US$8 billion since the last public estimate.
Hegseth told lawmakers at a hearing in Washington that the figure included certain aspects of the war as well as anticipated costs through September 30.
It was unclear how the Pentagon arrived at the US$37.5 billion figure. A source told Reuters in March that US President Donald Trump’s administration estimated the first six days of the war had cost at least US$11.3 billion.
Hegseth also told lawmakers that military training would need to be curtailed without an urgent funding boost.
This is the first time that Hegseth, who appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, has publicly faced questions from lawmakers since the US military restarted operations against Iran earlier this month.
With just six months before midterm elections in which Trump’s Republicans may face an uphill battle to keep their House majority, Democrats are riding high in public opinion polls as they attempt to link the unpopular Iran war with affordability.
