The Pentagon told Congress on Tuesday that the cost of the war with Iran has climbed to nearly 29billion.Thatisabout29billion.Thatisabout4 billion higher than the department’s estimate from just two weeks ago. The new figure emerged during a budget hearing on Capitol Hill as President Trump faces growing questions about the conflict and its impact on US military readiness.
The Rising Price Tag
Pentagon finance chief Jules Hurst III testified that the estimated cost of the war stood at $25 billion when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared before Congress on April 29. But that number has since been updated. “The joint staff team and the comptroller team are constantly looking at that estimate, and so now we think it’s closer to 29,” Hurst said. He attributed the increase to updated repair and replacement costs for equipment and broader operational expenses.
Democrats and other critics of the war have questioned whether the Pentagon’s calculations are accurate. They suggest the true cost, including damage inflicted by Iran, could be far higher. Virginia Burger, a senior defense policy analyst, said the administration might be understating the war’s true cost by “tens of billions” of dollars. “The only way to know what the discrepancy is and what this war is truly costing taxpayers is if the Pentagon provided Congress with a detailed breakdown,” she said.
A Shaky Ceasefire
The testimony came as a fragile US-Iran ceasefire appeared increasingly unstable. Trump warned on Monday that the truce was on “life support” after rejecting Tehran’s latest peace proposal. The war began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched hostilities against Iran. The White House has since formally notified Congress that those operations have “terminated,” but tensions remain high.
Democrats Demand Answers
Democrats used the hearing to criticize the administration over the ballooning cost of the war and what they called a lack of transparency about US objectives. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, asked, “The question must be answered at the end: what have we accomplished and at what cost?”
Democratic Senator Mark Kelly warned over the weekend that inventories of Tomahawk missiles, Patriot interceptors, and other advanced weapons have been severely drawn down. He said it could take years to replenish them. Hegseth dismissed those concerns as “foolishly and unhelpfully overstated.”
Damage to US Facilities
Democrat Patty Murray said the administration’s cost estimate appeared “suspiciously low” because it did not account for damage to US facilities. She cited reports that Iran struck at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at military sites. Hegseth declined to provide a damage estimate but argued that the cost of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon would be far greater.
What Comes Next
Hegseth told Congress that the administration would request “whatever we think we need” separately from the Pentagon budget. He did not give a timeline. The war has now cost nearly $29 billion in just over two months. With the ceasefire hanging by a thread, that number is almost certain to grow.
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