$37.5 billion - that's how much the war in Iran has cost the US so far. However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants more funds from the state budget for the conflict.
The war in Iran has cost the US $37.5 billion, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Senate hearing. According to him, the costs are expected to increase, since the strikes on Iran have been resumed. It is not clear exactly how the amount was calculated. According to information from "Reuters" The Pentagon had an estimate for the first six days of the war - then the money spent was $11.3 billion. Last month, US President Donald Trump asked Congress for an additional $90 billion, most of which to be used for the conflict with Iran.
More money for the war?
Now Pete Hegseth is asking for an additional $67 billion for the US Department of Defense - according to him, this is needed to ensure the readiness of the US armed forces, to replace outdated equipment and to invest in ammunition and new weapons.
Since the beginning of the US-Israeli war against Iran in late February of this year, representatives of both the Democratic and Republican parties have repeatedly criticized the fact that they were not warned in advance about the military actions. "The president is threatening escalation and war crimes, suggesting that this could be another endless war," said Democratic Senator Patty Murray. The US president has repeatedly made threats against Iran, including that he would "destroy all civilization". Republicans have majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but they are not large. This means that they generally need support from the Democratic Party to pass budgets.
Will this war end soon?
Criticism of the US government's handling of the war is not limited to Democrats. The war in the Middle East does not enjoy the support of a large part of Americans. Protest banners against the war were raised in the Senate during Hegseth's hearing.
Earlier this month, a fragile ceasefire agreed between the US and Iran was broken. Since then, both sides have been carrying out daily attacks. Yesterday, on the eleventh night of US bombing, explosions were reported in the Iranian capital, Tehran, for the first time since the resumption of the war. Iran has retaliated with attacks on US military bases in the Persian Gulf region. Several US soldiers were recently killed in Jordan.
The end of this war does not seem near - President Trump has announced new and fierce attacks. The US is "far from done" with Iran, he said during a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who is visiting the White House. Trump estimates that Iran's recovery will take at least 20 years.