Pentagon says US cost of Iran war nearing $29 billion

Washington: The Pentagon said Tuesday that the cost of the war with Iran had climbed to nearly $29 billion, as President Donald Trump faced mounting scrutiny over the conflict and its impact on military readiness.

The new figure, revealed by the Defense Department during a budget hearing on Capitol Hill, is about $4 billion higher than the estimate offered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth two weeks ago.

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Hegseth and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were testifying on a $1.5 trillion budget request for 2027 alongside Pentagon finance chief Jules Hurst III when they were asked for an update on the war's price tag.

"At the time of testimony... it was $25 billion dollars," Hurst told lawmakers, referring to Hegseth's April 29 estimate. "But the joint staff team and the comptroller are constantly looking at estimates and now we think it is closer to 29."