
US lawmakers clash with Hegseth on Iran war and $25 billion price tag
The war has cost $25 billion so far (€21 billion), according to Pentagon figures presented to the House Armed Services Committee.

The war has cost $25 billion so far (€21 billion), according to Pentagon figures presented to the House Armed Services Committee.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before Congress for nearly six hours about the Iran war that has cost $25 billion, defending the conflict and his firing of top military leaders against Democratic criticism. Democrats called the war a 'geopolitical calamity' and accused Hegseth of misleading Americans.

At a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Pentagon CFO Jules Hurst III offered the first official estimate of the cost of the war in Iran at US$25 billion, most of which went to ammunition, with funds also allocated for operations and equipment upgrades. Defense Secretary Hegseth, a former Fox News host, sparked controversy by calling congressional Democrats and some Republicans the biggest adversary.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in his address to the US House Armed Services Committee that his department’s main task is to protect the homeland

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine testified before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, the first congressional questioning of Trump's defense chief since the war with Iran began two months ago. Lawmakers probed the Pentagon's $1.5 trillion fiscal 2027 budget request while the conflict has caused global economic turmoil by restricting Strait of Hormuz shipping. The war has depleted U.S. munitions stockpiles, requiring congressional replenishment funding.