United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, says that America has spent $37.5 billion on the war involving Iran, according to the latest official estimate presented during a Senate appropriations committee hearing on Tuesday.
Hegseth revealed the latest cost estimate while appearing before lawmakers alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine to defend the administration’s proposed $1.5 trillion defence budget, which includes nearly $70 billion for military operations linked to the conflict with Iran.
“The estimate we have as of today is $37.5billion,” Hegseth said upon questioning from Democratic Senator Dick Durbin.
He noted that the estimate covers certain operations and maintenance expenses expected to continue until the end of September but did not give a detailed breakdown.
The updated figure represents an increase of about $8 billion from the $29 billion estimate released by President Donald Trump’s administration in May.
The defence secretary appeared before the committee as hostilities between the US and Iran continued after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which had paused attacks since June 17, broke down last week.
Speaking on Monday before the 10th straight night of US airstrikes, Trump warned that Iran would “pay” after two American soldiers were killed during the weekend.
In recent days, Trump has threatened to strike Iranian energy facilities and bridges, deploy ground troops to capture Kharg Island, and target the underground nuclear-linked facility known as Pickaxe Mountain.
US attacks have focused on locations Iran is believed to use to maintain influence over the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important waterway in the conflict.
Iran has, however, vowed to sustain attacks on US interests across the region. The latest exchanges reportedly set desalination and power plants on fire in Kuwait, while other sites were hit in Bahrain and Jordan. Yemen’s Houthi movement, an ally of Iran, has also announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia.
During his opening remarks, Hegseth said the conflict had placed significant pressure on US weapons stockpiles since the war began on February 28.
He said funding was needed “to expand production lines and accelerate delivery of high-demand munitions. We’re talking about solid rocket motors, JDAMs [Joint Direct Attack Munition], hypersonics, and counter-drone capabilities”.
The Pentagon chief also warned that the military could face funding constraints if Congress failed to approve the requested budget.
He said: “Training in the future would have to be curtailed if we do not get our budget needs met and met urgently, and yes, some of that has to do with the current budget cycle and how things come together.”
- Al Jazeera