Iran-US war latest: Hegseth reveals staggering cost of conflict so far as he faces Senate to ask for more

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during his testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee that the cost of the Trump administration’s escalating war with Iran has reached at least $37.5 billion.

Tuesday’s testimony from Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine follows the deaths of at least three American service members within two days, with nearly 100 other troops injured within the last month after the collapse of a fragile ceasefire.

At least 18 American troops have died since the beginning of the war, and more than 400 others have been injured.

The administration is now seeking billions of dollars in a supplemental funding request after a 10th consecutive night of attacks. Hegseth is asking for another $67 billion from Congress to cover mounting costs for the war, among other demands.

Hegseth and Caine last testified to members of Congress about the war in May, around the same time they last delivered a public briefing to the press. Hegseth did not mention the recent deaths of American service members in his opening remarks as he pleaded for more funding.

“Iranian Americans are against this war of aggression,” one protester shouted out. “Your hands are bloody.”

Another shouted out “Stop bombing our children in Iran and Palestine” and condemned an “illegal” war.

The Secretary of ‘War’ is struggling to justify the continuing war in Iran as he asks Congress for more than $70 billion in supplementary funding.

Instead, he retreated to a series of embarrassing buzzwords.

After senators approved supplementary military funding for Ukraine during the Biden administration, Hegseth says the panel’s refusal to do so for the U.S. military in Iran amounts to “hypocrisy.”

“I would argue providing for American men and women as opposed to Ukrainian men and women is a higher priority for the United States Senate,” he said.

“So five supplementals that went to Ukraine, as good as that cause may be, why is that righteous to do?” he said. “But funding troops in harm's way, right? Right now, given the threat and what they’re undertaking? This is a partisan exercise and hypocrisy.”

Sen. Jeff Merkley repeatedly asked whether the U.S. military is targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran, including water desalination plants.

“I’m not aware of those being particular targets, nor am I aware of those reports,” Caine said.

Asked whether he is aware that civilian infrastructure does not amount to ‘legitimate” targets, Caine said the military has a “robust process” to determine targets.

“It sounds like you are assuring us hat we will, the United States, not target even in retaliatory sense infrastructure that is generally considered to be primarily for civilian survival,” Merkley said.

“As I mentioned, we have a robust process,” Caine replied before Merkley cut him off.

“It would be nice to have you say yes, because this is international law,” he said.

During the hearing, on his Truth Social, Donald Trump listed the number of American deaths in previous wars compared to the 18 deaths during what he is calling the “Iran Military Conflict.”

Hegseth has repeatedly criticized the Biden administration for allegedly failing to sufficiently fund the military during his four years in office.

Democratic Sen. Jack Reed tried to put a stop to that.

“We’re talking about the war you started. Not a situation in which oil was flowing freely, there was no conflict, we weren’t losing personnel,” Reed said. “So your fallback to Biden is just a very, very obvious excuse for I think as you describe so often is ‘gross negligence.’”

He suggested that Hegseth has failed to provide the administration with contingencies for what the consequences of war with Iran would look like, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and resulting fallout.

Hegseth said Trump “deserves” praise.

“He should be praised for starting war without authority, creating a situation in which the world economy is suffering tremendously?” Reed said.

Hegseth’s latest estimate for the growing costs of the Iran war has now reached $37.5 billion.

That’s likely a low-end estimate, according to analysts.

Before the last week of attacks, the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated total costs to have reached between $34 billion and $42 billion. Other estimates place the true cost of the war to have reached more than $100 billion.

Murray pointed to Hegseth’s statements in April, when he said Iran’s missile program was “functionally destroyed.”

She also pointed to his statement in May claiming that Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz, despite traffic through the critical waterway shrinking and attacks increasing.

“Iran is at the weakest point militarily it has ever been in in the past decade,” Hegseth insisted Tuesday.

“So I acknowledge they still have capabilities, no doubt. But the amount of damage that we’ve done to them over the course of of these series of operations has put them in the worst place they’ve ever been,” he added.

Sen. Patty Murray listed several items in the funding request that have no relation to the Iran war, including $800 million for the National Guard to patrol D.C., $1 billion for troops on the U.S-Mexico border and $900 million for boat strikes of suspected drug traffickers.

“The truth is your request does not make a lot of sense,” she said. “Why is the urgently needed for the Iran war?”

Hegseth has repeatedly said throughout the hearing that the Defense Department is now struggling due to “gross negligence and neglect” under the Biden administration, which “abandoned” the U.S. “strength posture around the world.”

Hegseth did not mention the war in Iran let alone the deaths of at least three U.S. service members in recent days as he addressed the committee in his opening remarks.

Gen. Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who is testifying alongside Hegseth, opened his remarks recognizing the service members.

Caine expressed his “deep condolences and the condolences of the Joint Force” to the families of the fallen soldiers.

The Department of Defense is seeking a $1.5 trillion overall budget, which includes $67 billion in supplemental funding.

That includes $21 billion for military pay, replacing equipment, sustaining forces, and addressing “mission critical fuel shortfalls,” Hegseth said.

Another $46 billions will “expand production” as well as munitions, including counter-drone capabilities, and for “digital and space dominance,” he said.

“Not fully funding this department I believe is the greatest threat our nation faces,” he said. “Either invest in our warriors … or this is all just talk.”