Donald Trump’s Iran war has cost $25bn, Pentagon says

Donald Trump’s Iran war has cost the US $25bn, driven primarily by the military’s use of munitions, according to the Pentagon.

Jay Hurst, the Pentagon’s comptroller, on Wednesday told Congress the US had spent “about $25bn on Operation Epic Fury”, in the defence department’s first public estimate of the conflict’s cost. “Most of that is ammunition,” he added.

The military has burned through years’ worth of costly missiles and air defence interceptors in its war against the Islamic republic, raising alarm about the US’s readiness for a potential conflict with China or Russia. The White House has denied the war has caused a munitions shortage.

But the US use of Tomahawk missiles and Patriot and Thaad interceptors in attacks on Iran has eaten into stockpiles and outpaced their annual production rates.

Defence secretary Pete Hegseth, whose testimony marked his first public appearance before Congress since the start of the Iran war, did not answer a question about how much more the conflict would cost, saying: “What is it worth to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon, considering the radical ambitions of that regime?”

He also declined to say how much longer the conflict would go on.

While the American bombing campaign has ceased amid a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, the US military’s effort to exert economic pressure on the regime with a naval blockade involves more than a dozen warships and 100 aircraft.

Since the truce was agreed, the US has sent more warships and thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, including a third aircraft carrier, the first time the American navy has had three such vessels in the region in more than 20 years.

Hurst, who testified alongside Hegseth and General Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, about the Pentagon’s record $1.5tn budget request, said Congress would receive a request for more funding via the White House “once we have a full assessment of the cost of the conflict”.

The Pentagon had initially asked the White House to submit a $200bn supplemental request, though Hegseth has previously said that number could change.

Pentagon officials have said the $1.5tn request does not incorporate the costs of the Iran war.

Equipment losses and maintenance were also a factor in the Pentagon’s $25bn price tag, Hurst added. A range of American military assets have sustained damage or been lost, including fighter, attack and transport aircraft, drones and radars in Iranian attacks and friendly fire incidents.

During his testimony, Hegseth had several combative exchanges with Democrats on the House armed services committee who criticised the administration’s approach to the conflict.

In one testy exchange, Hegseth said calling the Iran war a “quagmire” was “handing propaganda to our enemies”.

“Shame on you for that statement, and statements like that are reckless to our troops,” he said.

“Don’t say: ‘I support the troops on one hand, and then a two-month mission is a quagmire’,” Hegseth added. “Who you cheering for here? Who you pulling for?”