Iran War Has Cost Taxpayers At Least $29 Billion So Far, Pentagon Says

A senior Pentagon official told lawmakers Tuesday that the U.S. war with Iran has cost taxpayers at least $29 billion so far.

Jules W. Hurst III, the Pentagon’s acting comptroller, said during congressional testimony that the estimate had climbed from the roughly $25 billion figure he gave lawmakers less than two weeks ago. Hurst said the increase reflected “updated repair and replacement of equipment” and “general operational costs.”

The new figure came as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal year 2027. AP reported that lawmakers from both parties pressed Hegseth on the administration’s endgame in Iran and its weapons usage.

The administration has not yet provided Congress with a complete public breakdown of the war’s expenses. Democrats have demanded more details on personnel costs, fuel, ship maintenance, damaged facilities, equipment losses, and the timeline covered by the estimate. Hurst also said the $29 billion figure does not include the cost of repairing damaged U.S. military installations in the region.

Trump has also faced criticism over higher energy prices linked to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes, being implemented both by the U.S. and Iran. The International Energy Agency described it as the “greatest global energy security challenge in history,”

Trump said Monday the ceasefire with Iran was on “massive life support,” while U.S. officials told Congress the ceasefire technically remained in effect despite continued exchanges of fire. Hegseth also pushed back on suggestions that U.S. stockpiles are depleted. “I take issue with the characterization that munitions are depleted in a public forum,” he told House lawmakers. “That’s not true.”

Epic Fury began in late February with coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure. The Trump administration has argued that the operation is necessary to neutralize Iranian missile capabilities and prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, labeling the strikes as “preemptive.”

However, Iranian parliamentary spokesman Ebrahim Rezaei said the country could enrich uranium to weapons-grade level if attacked again.

“One of Iran’s options in the event of another attack could be ​90 percent enrichment. We will review it ​in the parliament,” Rezaei said in a social media publication.

The remarks come after different reports noted that President Donald Trump met with his national security on Monday to discuss the path forward in the war in Iran as negotiations continue to be deadlocked.

Axios detailed that Trump wants to reach a deal to end the war, but the gap between the U.S. and Iran’s demands may not make it possible.

Citing two U.S. officials, the outlet said the president is considering military action as a way to increase pressure on the regime and close positions. “He will tune them up a bit,” one of them said.