Pentagon tells Congress Iran war cost at least $42 billion

The Pentagon told Congress last month that the cost of the war against Iran has now climbed over $42 billion, a $4.5 billion increase on the most recent public estimate from the Department of Defense more than six months into the conflict.

Defense officials provided the updated cost estimate on Aug. 13 to congressional defense committees, a congressional aide told The Hill on Monday. The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment on how much the cost has increased in the ensuing month.

The figure marks the first official update from the administration on the war since July, when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate during a hearing in July that the estimated cost of the conflict was $37.5 billion.

Some experts The Hill spoke to in July placed the topline number far higher.

Linda J. Bilmes, the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, said at the time the cost of the war was about $100 billion.

Democrats in Congress have repeatedly asked the Pentagon and the Trump administration to provide the full cost of the conflict.

Last week, the Pentagon’s comptroller’s office said on social platform X that the department — along with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) — provided Congress more than 10 “timely updates” on the cost of the conflict, including information on “obligations, operational costs and unfunded replacement costs.”

The comptroller’s office said Wednesday the latest update with the conflict’s cost estimate was sent on Aug. 28. When reached for comment on Thursday, the office, led by Jules “Jay” Hurst, referred The Hill back to the social media post.

“The Department will continue to keep transparency and accountability with Congress as mandated by law, without compromising the security of our servicemembers,” Hurst’s office said in the post.

The Hill has also reached out to Hegseth’s office and OMB for comment on the latest cost estimates.

The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) has received weekly briefings for a “couple” of months regarding the war, but has not received the total cost of the conflict, another congressional source told The Hill on Monday.

The Iran war has cost at least $1,200 per household, the left-leaning Center for American Progress estimated on Aug. 20.

The Trump administration’s push for additional funding from Congress remains at a standstill.

In June, the White House requested over $87 billion for a supplemental package, with about $67 billion to replenish munitions used up during the Iran war and other military operational costs.

The GOP-controlled House passed a $95 billion package in July aimed at funding the Iran war and other White House priorities, but the deal has not made progress in the Senate, where Democrats have blocked its passage.

President Trump requested a record-setting $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal 2027, arguing it is necessary to harden the military and protect national security. The administration has looked to pass $350 billion through the partisan process of reconciliation, but the window has largely closed for such a heavy lift before the midterms.