The Pentagon said on Tuesday the cost of the war with Iran had risen to nearly $29 billion, as President Donald Trump faced growing criticism over the conflict’s financial burden and its effect on U.S. military readiness. The updated figure, disclosed during a Capitol Hill budget hearing, was roughly $4 billion higher than the Pentagon’s previous estimate issued two weeks earlier.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine and Pentagon finance chief Jules Hurst III were questioned about the war’s cost during testimony on the administration’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027.”
At the time of testimony, it was $25 billion,” Hurst said, referring to Hegseth’s April 29 estimate.”
But the joint staff team and the comptroller team are constantly looking at that estimate, and so now we think it’s closer to 29,” he added, citing updated repair and replacement costs for equipment and wider operational expenses.
Democrats and other critics have challenged the Pentagon’s accounting, arguing the overall cost, including damage caused by Iran, could be substantially higher.
Asked when Congress would receive a fuller estimate, Hegseth said the administration would request “whatever we think we need” outside the Pentagon budget process, without providing a timeline.
The hearing came as a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared increasingly uncertain, with President Donald Trump warning on Monday the truce was on “life support” after rejecting Tehran’s latest peace proposal.
Democrats used the session to criticise the administration over the rising cost of the conflict and what they described as a lack of clarity over U.S. objectives.”The question must be answered at the end: what have we accomplished and at what cost?” asked Representative Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.
Representative Betty McCollum accused the Pentagon of a “consistent lack of transparency” and called for more details on the administration’s strategy before Congress approved additional funding. The war has also heightened concerns over shrinking U.S. weapons stockpiles following months of missile and air-defense operations in the Middle East.
Hegseth rejected claims that the conflict had dangerously depleted American munitions reserves.”The munitions issue has been foolishly and unhelpfully overstated,” he said. “We know exactly what we have. We have plenty of what we need.”Democratic Senator Mark Kelly warned over the weekend that inventories of Tomahawk missiles, Patriot interceptors and other advanced weapons had been heavily reduced and could take years to rebuild.
The hearings marked Hegseth’s first appearance on Capitol Hill since the White House formally notified Congress that hostilities launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on Feb. 28 had ended.
Democrats, accusing Trump of waging war without congressional approval, have repeatedly introduced measures to limit his war powers, but Republicans have blocked them.
During a separate Senate hearing, Democratic Senator Patty Murray said the administration’s estimate appeared “suspiciously low” because it excluded damage to U.S. facilities, citing reports that Iran struck at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at military sites.
Hegseth declined to estimate the damage, but argued that the cost of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon would be far greater.
Trump has repeatedly said U.S. air strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme last year, despite intelligence assessments indicating Tehran remained years away from developing a missile capable of threatening the United States.