Iran war cost soars to $37.5B as senator accuses Hegseth of excusing ‘gross negligence’

The price tag for the war in Iran just got a lot bigger

Defense Secretary Pete Hagsworth told Senators Tuesday the conflict has now cost an estimated $37.5 billion

up roughly $12 billion from the Pentagon's last public estimate just a few months ago

Lawmakers wanted to know whether that number is likely to keep climbing, especially as fighting between the U.S. and Iran continues

Do you have a new estimate about what the war has cost us so far in this, the fifth month of the first year of this war in Iran

Senator, the estimate we have as of today is $37.5 billion. And is the current activity, which we have been told about the exchange of fire back and forth in Iran, an indication that that number is going to go up in the months ahead

Some of that number captures additional O&M, mill pay, and other that would be anticipated through the fiscal year

So some of that anticipates what costs would be going out in the future as well. So the new number you've given me is what

37.5 billion. And that represents the cost of the war through what period of time

Through now for certain aspects of it, but also mil pay, O&M, other anticipated costs through September 30th

The hearing at times turned tense. When Hegseth blamed the Biden administration for the Pentagon growing funding request Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed fired back We had U boats that surrendered to Iranian ships under the Biden administration So their navy was effective in

expeditiously. We're talking about the war you started, not a situation in which oil was flowing

freely. There was no conflict. We went losing personnel as a result of Iranian actions. So

So your fallback to the Biden administration is just a very, very obvious excuse for what I think is probably, as you described, so often gross negligence

Hegseth was interrupted multiple times by anti-war protesters. The supplemental funding request is not a substitute

Earlier in the day, Hegseth appeared alongside President Trump in the Oval Office

where the president dismissed the idea of direct talks with Tehran for now

I will tell you, they want to desperately meet, and until they're ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest in even

The administration is also asking Congress to approve roughly $70 billion in additional emergency military funding

saying the money is needed to sustain operations, replenish weapons, and prepare for what could become a much longer conflict