The United States’ war in Iran has cost $37.5 billion so far, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said, an increase of nearly $8bn since the last public estimate.
Hegseth told legislators at a hearing in Washington that the figure included certain aspects of the war as well as anticipated costs through September 30.
It was unclear how the Pentagon arrived at the $37.5bn figure. A source told Reuters in March that President Donald Trump’s administration estimated the first six days of the war had cost at least $11.3bn.
Hegseth also said military training would need to be curtailed without an urgent funding boost.
This is the first time that Hegseth, who appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, has publicly faced questions from legislators since the US military re-started operations against Iran earlier this month.
With just six months before midterm elections in which 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 unpopular Iran war with affordability.
A fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran collapsed earlier this month and both sides have been carrying out daily strikes against each other.
The number of US troops killed in the war on Iran has risen to 17, while officials are examining the remains of another soldier missing following a strike on a base in Jordan. Two of the 17 were confirmed to have been killed when Iran attacked US personnel in Jordan.
Roughly 430 US troops have been injured so far in the conflict, which started in late February. The Pentagon said on Monday that 100 service members were injured since July 7, but that 96 per cent have returned to duty. It was unclear how many of those, if any, were included in the 430 number in the Pentagon’s public database.
Trump attended a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for four US service members killed in Iranian attacks over the last few days — three in Jordan and one in Iraq.
“For me it’s one of the hardest things to do as a president. But it has to be done,” Trump said before leaving for the ceremony.
In the past week, Trump has threatened to expand the targets being struck in Iran to include energy plants and bridges, send ground forces to seize Iran’s Kharg Island oil hub and bomb a deep-underground nuclear-linked site known as Pickaxe Mountain.
In 11 straight days of attacks since a June ceasefire fell apart, American strikes have widened from the south to western and central areas of Iran. Despite triumphant statements from Washington, Iran has demonstrated it retains missile and drone capabilities. Iran pounded vital water desalination and energy plants in Kuwait this week and targeted Bahrain and in Jordan.
An Iranian health ministry official said 53 civilians had been killed and 592 wounded since late last month. Since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced.
The US military has said it never targets civilians, which could violate the 1949 Geneva Conventions on humanitarian conduct in war. Trump, however, has repeatedly threatened to attack civilian infrastructure, which may be targeted if it is also being used for military purposes, provided the civilian harm is not excessive.
Iranian drone attacks in the Gulf have prompted US intelligence analysts to investigate whether Russia assisted by providing targeting information or advanced drone technology, said four people familiar with US intelligence.
Amid diplomatic efforts to salvage the 14-point memorandum of understanding signed in June that led to a temporary respite from all-out war, Iran has insisted on maintaining the control over the Strait of Hormuz that it established during the war.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said allowing Iran to have such control would set a dangerous precedent for the world, including Southeast Asia, where many countries have territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.
Iran was not serious about talks, he said.
“If they’re serious, we’re serious. If they’re not, then we will do what’s necessary to protect our interests, and also the interests of our allies,” Rubio told reporters at a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila.
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