War against Iran cost U.S. over $37 billion, says Defense Secretary

The conflict with Iran has incurred costs of $37.5 billion for the United States, announced U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday. This estimate marks an increase of roughly $8 billion compared to the mid-May projection, as reported by AFP.

Hegseth presented the current estimate of $37.5 billion during a hearing before the Senate Budget Committee. Reuters noted that this figure includes anticipated expenses up to September 30. The defense secretary was advocating for an additional $67 billion in funding for the Pentagon.

During the hearing, Hegseth warned that without an urgent increase in financial resources, the U.S. military might have to scale back training exercises. He was responding to a question from Senator Susan Collins regarding the potential impact of insufficient funding, according to Reuters.

This appearance marked Hegseth's first before U.S. lawmakers since Washington resumed attacks against Iran earlier this month. In response to a question from Senator Patty Murray, Hegseth stated that while Iran's military is currently at its weakest in a decade, Iran "undoubtedly" still possesses certain military capabilities, Sky News reported.

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Our current estimate is $37.5 billion.