Amna Nawaz
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WATCH: Iran war has cost $25 billion so far, Pentagon confirms in hearing
Posted
April 29, 2026
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April 29, 2026
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1:27Now PlayingThe Iran war has cost an estimated $25 billion to date, spent mostly on munitions, a Pentagon official confirmed in a congressional budget hearing Wednesday.
When asked for the total cost of the Iran War so far, Jules Hurst III, acting defense undersecretary and the Pentagon’s comptroller, gave the House Armed Services Committee that estimate.
Once the Pentagon determines a full assessment of the cost of Operation Epic Fury, which launched in February, they will make a supplemental request through the White House that will later reach Congress, he added.
“I'm glad you answered that question, cause we've been asking for a hell of a long time and no one's given us the number,” said Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., ranking member of the House committee.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other Pentagon officials were invited to testify on President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget request to increase defense spending to $1.5 trillion – the largest proposed amount in decades.
The House hearing gave lawmakers a chance to question the defense leaders for the first time since the start of the war on Iran, which the U.S. and Israel launched at the end of February. While Hegseth has touted the Iran war as “a gift to the world,” polls have found that a majority of Americans disapprove of the conflict and the Trump administration’s handling of it.
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