The United States’ war in Iran has cost $29 billion so far, a senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday, an increase of $4 billion from an estimate provided late last month.
With just six months before midterm elections in which President Donald Trump’s Republicans may face an uphill battle to keep their House majority, Democrats are riding high in public opinion polls as they attempt to link the war with cost of living issues.
On April 29, the Pentagon had said the war at that point had cost $25 billion.
Jules Hurst, who is performing the duties of the comptroller, told lawmakers on Tuesday that the new cost included updated repair and replacement of equipment and operational costs.
“The joint staff team and the comptroller team are constantly looking at that estimate,” Hurst said. He was speaking alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine.
Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that a ceasefire between the US and Iran was active, even as lawmakers pressed him on whether a formal written agreement existed between the two sides.
Hegseth made the remarks alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair General Dan Caine during testimony before a House Appropriations subcommittee reviewing the Trump administration’s proposed 2027 defence budget, and discussing developments in the conflict with Iran.
The sharpest exchange came when Representative Pete Aguilar questioned Hegseth about last month’s testimony in which the Pentagon chief said the ceasefire effectively paused the 60-day clock under the War Powers Resolution.