Iran war has cost $37.5 billion, Hegseth says, as conflict escalates

Washington — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers Tuesday the U.S.-Iran war has cost about $37.5 billion so far, as the Trump administration asks Congress to approve tens of billions of dollars in additional Pentagon funding to help underwrite the cost of the war.

Two Democratic sources and a third source familiar with the matter told CBS News the actual cost is much higher, in part because the current estimate does not include costs like military construction for U.S. bases that have been damaged.

Hegseth testified to the Senate Appropriations Committee following an escalation in the war with Iran in recent days. The U.S. and Iran have traded nightly strikes for over a week, and Iran has struck several commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, bringing to an end a shaky ceasefire between the two countries. During the hearing, Senate Democrats vehemently criticized the Trump administration's Iran strategy.

In Tuesday's hearing, Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine detailed the Trump administration's supplemental funding request for $67 billion to help cover the cost of the Iran conflict and replenish crucial military supplies. The administration is also asking for $1.5 trillion on top of that to fund the department in the next fiscal year.

"Rest assured that every dollar appropriated to the Department of War will be focused on building the lethality of our joint force, and reinforcing peace through strength," Hegseth said in his opening statement.

The secretary did not mention Iran directly in his opening remarks, but said the supplemental request includes $21 billion for readiness, which he said would include replacing "much of the equipment utilized during recent operations."

Under questioning from Illinois Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin, Hegseth said the administration estimates that the Iran conflict has cost $37.5 billion so far. He said that figure represents some costs that will be incurred through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. A Pentagon official testified in mid-May that the war had cost about $29 billion at that point.

Tuesday's Senate hearing came after three U.S. soldiers were believed to have been killed in an Iranian attack in Jordan on Friday, while another service member died in Iraq during a controlled explosion to destroy an Iranian drone.

The deaths bring the total number of service members killed since the war began in February to 18. Nearly 100 American service members have been injured in multiple Iranian strikes on bases across the Middle East this month, officials told CBS N