US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says, war with Iran has cost 37.5 billion US dollars

By  News On Air   Jul 22, 2026

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators that the war with Iran has cost an estimated 37.5 billion US dollars. Mr. Hegseth disclosed the figure yesterday during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on President Donald Trump’s supplemental funding request.

Trump administration has sought nearly 88 billion US Dollars in emergency funding amid renewed fighting in the Strait of Hormuz. Hegseth said the estimate covered some costs incurred so far and anticipated military pay, operations and maintenance expenses through September 30. Hegseth said training exercises could be curtailed if Congress failed to approve additional funds. He argued that the military was confronting years of deferred maintenance and depleted weapons stocks.

Democrats questioned why the Pentagon needed more money when it still had roughly 75 billion US dollars in unobligated funds from an earlier spending package. The hearing also exposed sharp divisions over the administration’s legal authority to continue military operations.