The Pentagon said on Tuesday that the cost of the war with Iran has surged to nearly 29 billion dollars, intensifying political pressure on President Donald Trump.
The revised estimate underscores growing scrutiny over the financial burden and its strain on US military readiness amid ongoing conflict assessments.
The Defense Department disclosed the updated figure during a budget hearing on Capitol Hill, raising it about 4 billion dollars above earlier projections.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously estimated the war’s cost at around 25 billion dollars in testimony delivered two weeks earlier.
Pentagon finance chief Jules Hurst III provided the latest update while testifying alongside Hegseth and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
They were presenting a sweeping 1.5 trillion dollar defence budget request for 2027 when lawmakers pressed for clarity on war expenditures.
Hurst told Congress the estimate had shifted as analysts continued reassessing operational and logistical costs tied to the conflict.
He said joint staff and comptroller teams were continuously reviewing figures, concluding that the total had now risen closer to 29 billion dollars.
The upward revision highlights the volatility of wartime accounting and the mounting financial weight carried by sustained military operations.