WASHINGTON: The cost of the war between the United States and Iran has risen to nearly $29 billion, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
The updated figure was revealed during a budget hearing on Capitol Hill. It was about $4 billion higher than the estimate provided two weeks ago.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine and Pentagon finance chief Jules Hurst III were questioned during discussions on the administration’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027.
According to Hurst, the estimate was revised after updated calculations of equipment repair, replacement and operational costs.
Concerns were raised by Democrats and critics of the war that the actual cost could be much higher, particularly after damage caused by Iranian strikes was taken into account.
Questions were also asked about when Congress would receive a complete assessment of war expenses. Hegseth said additional funding requests would be submitted separately if required. No timeline was provided.
The hearing was held as the fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran appeared increasingly unstable. On Monday, US President Donald Trump said the truce was on “life support” after Iran’s latest peace proposal was rejected.
The administration’s handling of the war and the rising costs were heavily criticized by Democratic lawmakers during the hearing.
Representative Rosa DeLauro said questions remained over what had been achieved and at what price. Representative Betty McCollum accused the Pentagon of a lack of transparency regarding US objectives.
Fresh concerns were also expressed over shrinking US weapons stockpiles after months of military operations in the Middle East.
Warnings about depleted munitions were dismissed by Hegseth, who said sufficient supplies remained available.
Democratic Senator Mark Kelly warned that stocks of Tomahawk missiles, Patriot interceptors and other advanced weapons had been significantly reduced and could take years to replenish.
The hearings marked Hegseth’s first appearance before Congress since the White House formally announced that hostilities launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28 had ended.
Accusations were repeatedly made by Democrats that military operations had been conducted without congressional authorization, though Republican lawmakers blocked attempts to limit Trump’s war powers.
During a separate Senate hearing, Senator Patty Murray questioned the Pentagon’s estimates and referred to reports claiming Iranian strikes had damaged at least 228 US military structures or pieces of equipment.
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A separate damage assessment was not provided by Hegseth. However, it was argued that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon justified the cost of the conflict.
