Hegseth: War with Iran Has Already Cost the United States Nearly $38 Billion

The war against Iran has already cost the United States approximately $37.5 billion.

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reported the figure during a hearing before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, BBC reports.

That is nearly $8 billion higher than the previous estimate released in May.

Hegseth also urged Congress to approve an additional $87 billion in funding for the Pentagon as soon as possible.

Of that amount, $67 billion is expected to be allocated to support military operations in the Middle East.

He added that every dollar allocated would be used to enhance the U.S. military’s “lethality” and to “restore peace through strength.”

According to the Pentagon chief, without the additional funding, the Department of War would face a critical budget shortfall that would affect military personnel pay, the replenishment of weapons and ammunition stockpiles, and support for ongoing operations.

Hegseth argued that without the additional funding, the United States would be forced to scale back both current and future military training.

Previously, U.S. media reported that the U.S. armed forces expended approximately $5.6 billion worth of munitions during the first two days of strikes against Iran.

Overall, during the initial days of the operation against Iran, U.S. forces used hundreds of precision-guided weapons, including modified Tomahawk cruise missiles and advanced interceptor missiles for air and missile defense systems.

The first six days of the military operation againstIran cost the United States at least $11.3 billion. That estimate did not include the buildup of U.S. military personnel and equipment in the region before the initial strikes.

In a report released in late May, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) pointed out that it would take U.S. defense contractors at least three years to replenish stocks of three key weapons systems heavily used during the war with Iran: Tomahawk cruise missiles, as well as interceptor missiles for the Patriot and THAAD air and missile defense systems.