Pentagon puts cost of US war in Iran at $37.5bn — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth says the country’s war with Iran has cost 37.5 billion US dollars so far and the Pentagon will require additional funding to continue military operations, a media report said on Wednesday. Hegseth told a congressional hearing on Tuesday that the figure also included projected costs through 30 September this year, Reuters reported. The news agency said it remained unclear how the Pentagon had calculated the $37.5 billion estimate. A source had previously said that the first six days of the conflict alone had cost the US government at least $11.3 billion. Last month, US President Donald Trump requested nearly $90 billion in additional funding from Congress, with a large portion expected to be allocated to the war in Iran. Hegseth also called for the approval of a $1.5 trillion defence budget for 2027. According to the report, several Republican and Democratic lawmakers criticised the administration’s handling of the war and the lack of information about President Trump’s objectives and strategy. US officials say 18 American service members have been killed and about 430 others wounded in the conflict so far. They added that the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran collapsed earlier this month, since when the two sides have carried out daily attacks against each other.