The United States has spent $37.5 billion on its war against Iran so far, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators, though the true bill may run far higher.
Key Points:
- Hegseth pegged the U.S. war against Iran at $37.5 billion during Senate testimony.
- The Pentagon is seeking close to double that sum to keep operations running.
- Officials and analysts warn the real cost far exceeds the public figure.
Iran War Cost Estimate
Hegseth laid out the figure Tuesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee, where lawmakers pressed him on strategy, casualties and the mounting bill.
He told the panel that the $37.5 billion also covered anticipated expenses through Sept. 30, the end of the budget year. The total sits well above the roughly $25 billion the Pentagon cited in late April, before an earlier ceasefire briefly held and then collapsed.
The department now wants far more money to press on, and Hegseth said it needs close to twice the current sum to keep fighting. Senate Democrats pushed back hard, with Washington Sen. Patty Murray warning that the war is spiraling out of control.
Also Read: Dow Jones Industrial Average Volatility Tests Bitcoin's Decoupling Story
Hidden War Costs
Behind the official tally sits a steeper reality. Several sources familiar with the accounting say the true cost runs much higher, because the estimate leaves out repairs to damaged bases and replacement aircraft.
Internal figures reportedly reach $80 billion to $100 billion, once lost jets and munitions are fully replenished.
Ordinary Americans are absorbing part of the burden through higher fuel prices. Researchers at Brown University estimate the war has added hundreds of dollars to the average household's gasoline and diesel costs since it began in late winter.
Hormuz Standstill And Talks
The fighting has also choked the world's busiest oil chokepoint. Daily traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped into the single digits on most days, down from roughly 130 vessels before the war. President Donald Trump has vowed to make Iran pay after several American troops were killed in recent days.
Mediators from Qatar, Egypt, Oman and Pakistan have floated a 10-day ceasefire that would reopen the waterway and revive an interim deal signed last month that unraveled after the strikes resumed. Washington has pressed for a longer halt, and nightly U.S. strikes have not stopped.
The war began Feb. 28, when U.S. forces struck Iran and pulled the two nations into open conflict. Cost estimates have climbed steadily since. They ran near $11 billion for the first six days before reaching the tens of billions now in dispute.
Read Next: Meteorite That Hit A Home In New Jersey Fuels AI-Driven Hunt For Life