The official estimate arrives six months before the midterm elections.
A Pentagon official said this week that the United States’ war on Iran has cost $25 billion so far. This is the first official estimate of the military’s price tag for the Middle East conflict, Reuters reported.
Acting comptroller Jules Hurst was quoted as saying that most of the spending had gone toward munitions, though he did not specify whether the estimate included long-term costs such as rebuilding damaged infrastructure.
Jules Hurst, currently performing the duties of the comptroller, informed the House Armed Services Committee that the majority of these expenditures have been directed toward munitions. Hurst did not specify if the figure includes the projected costs for the reconstruction or repair of Middle Eastern base infrastructure damaged during the hostilities.
The $25 billion price tag, which equals NASA’s entire annual budget, has drawn immediate scrutiny regarding its calculation. Last month, sources indicated that the Trump administration estimated the first six days of the conflict alone cost $11.3 billion.
The financial briefing arrives six months before the midterm elections, where Republicans face a difficult campaign to maintain their House majority.
Hegseth confronts DemocratsDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the expenditure during the same hearing, framing it in terms of national security priorities. “What would you pay to ensure Iran does not get a nuclear bomb? What would you pay?" he asked lawmakers, while rejecting criticism that the conflict had become a prolonged entanglement. The financial burden is expected to rise further as the Pentagon pushes for a record $1.5 trillion defense budget, which Hegseth argued is necessary to maintain "the world’s most powerful and capable military". |
