Pentagon increases cost of war in Iran to $29 billion

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said the Trump administration has a plan to escalate the war in Iran "if necessary" as the Pentagon raised the war's overall cost to $29 billion nine weeks into the conflict.

Pentagon officials disclosed the increased cost, up from $25 billion projected last week, during a House Appropriation subcommittee meeting while a ceasefire between the United States and Iran hangs in the balance.

Jules Hurst III, the Pentagon's acting comptroller, pointed to updated costs to repair and replace military equipment and updated operational costs to explain the ballooning cost. The Pentagon is seeking $1.5 trillion in the next federal budget and more than $200 billion in supplemental funding from Congress amid the war in Iran.