WASHINGTON: The United States’ military operations against Iran have cost about $29 billion so far, a senior Pentagon official told lawmakers on Tuesday, marking a $4 billion increase from estimates provided less than two weeks ago.
The updated figure was disclosed during testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defence by senior Pentagon officials, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, and Pentagon comptroller official Jules Hurst III.
“At the time of testimony… it was $25 billion. But the joint staff team and the comptroller are constantly looking at estimates and now we think it is closer to $29,” Hurst told lawmakers.
He said the revised figure reflected updated repair and replacement costs for military equipment, as well as broader operational expenses linked to maintaining US forces in the region.
“And that is because of updated repair and replacement of equipment costs and also just general operational costs to keep people in theatre,” he added.
Pressure over war costs
The Pentagon had previously said on April 29 that the war had cost approximately $25 billion during two months of military operations.
The increase in spending comes as President Donald Trump faces political pressure ahead of the midterm elections, with Democrats attempting to link the war’s financial burden to rising domestic cost-of-living concerns.
During the hearing, lawmakers pressed Pentagon officials over whether Congress would receive more detailed accounting of the war’s costs.
Hegseth responded that the administration would “share what we can” when it became “relevant and required”.
Munitions and military readiness
The hearing also focused on concerns that the conflict had significantly depleted US missile and munitions stockpiles.
Responding to lawmakers’ concerns, Hegseth dismissed suggestions that US inventories were under severe strain.
“The munitions issue has been foolishly and unhelpfully overstated,” he said.
“We know exactly what we have, we have plenty of what we need.”
His comments came days after Democratic Senator Mark Kelly warned that US military stockpiles had been heavily depleted during the Iran conflict.
Speaking to CBS News on Sunday, Kelly said inventories of Tomahawk cruise missiles, Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), SM-3 interceptors, THAAD rounds and Patriot missiles had been significantly drawn down.
He warned replenishing those systems could take years and might leave the United States vulnerable in any future confrontation with China.
Ceasefire and future military plans
Hegseth told lawmakers it remained “evident” that the ceasefire with Iran was still holding despite recent tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
“It means the fire is ceasing and we know that has occurred while negotiations occur,” he said.
Asked whether the Pentagon had contingency plans if Congress did not authorise continued military operations, Hegseth said the US military was prepared for multiple scenarios.
“We have a plan to escalate if necessary. We have a plan to retrograde, if necessary. We have a plan to shift assets,” he told the subcommittee.
“But certainly in this setting, we wouldn’t reveal what the next step may be, considering the gravity of the mission that the president is undertaking to ensure that Iran never has a nuclear bomb.”
Record defence budget
Opening his testimony, Hegseth defended the Trump administration’s proposed $1.5 trillion defence budget, arguing it was necessary to restore American military capabilities.
“President Trump inherited a defence industrial base that had been hollowed out by years of America last policies,” Hegseth said.
“We are reversing this systemic decay and putting our defence industrial base back on a wartime footing.”
He added that the proposed budget would ensure the United States maintained “the world’s most powerful and capable military”.
