Pete Hegseth Gives Low Estimate of Total Cost of Iran War

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 21, 2026 that the Iran war has cost $37.5 billion so far. Independent U.S. intelligence officials and analysts put the real total at more than $100 billion — nearly triple the figure Hegseth gave Congress. It's the fourth number the Pentagon has given Congress since the war began, and each one has been higher than the last.

How the Iran War Cost Estimate Has Climbed

Shortly after the war began on February 28, 2026, Pentagon officials briefed senators that the first six days alone had cost $11.3 billion, not counting pre-war buildup. By late April, Pentagon Comptroller Jules "Jay" Hurst III put the running total at $25 billion, a figure he called "not completely comprehensive". By July 21, Hegseth's own testimony had the number at $37.5 billion, alongside a request for a $67 billion supplemental on top of it.

None of those figures match the Pentagon's own internal accounting. The Defense Department's internal estimate for the total cost is $80 to $100 billion once rebuilding damaged bases, replacing destroyed aircraft, and fully restocking weapons are counted — more than double what's been testified to publicly. Independent U.S. intelligence officials and analysts put the number even higher, at more than $100 billion.

The Cost to Americans 

None of these figures include what the war has cost Americans directly at the gas pump. It has been estimated that U.S. drivers have paid an extra $72.6 billion on gasoline and diesel combined since the war started, by comparing actual pump prices to what they'd likely have been without the war. That's nearly double Hegseth's official military cost figure, and it isn't counted in any Pentagon tally.

The war is still going on, and Congress is still waiting on the $67 billion supplemental request. Based on the pattern so far, the next official cost estimate is likely to be higher than this one.