US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed on Tuesday that the cost of the US war against Iran has risen to $37.5 billion, noting that this estimate includes expected expenses through the next September 30.

His remarks came during a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he defended the Trump administration's request to allocate approximately $67 billion in additional funding to the Department of Defense (Pentagon).

This figure represents a significant increase compared to the previous estimate announced in mid-May, when the cost was around $29 billion, while a Defense Department official had estimated it in late April at about $25 billion.

Escalation of Confrontation

Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Kine appeared before the Senate committee amid escalating military confrontations with Iran, as CBS News reported that the number of US soldiers killed since the start of the war last February reached 17 troops, while about 100 military personnel were injured this month due to Iranian attacks targeting US bases in the Middle East.

The hearing comes after the killing of two US soldiers in an Iranian attack targeting US forces on Friday, in addition to the death of a third soldier in Iraq during a controlled detonation to destroy an Iranian drone.

In the same context, the United States continued to carry out strikes against Iranian military targets and infrastructure for the tenth consecutive night, following the collapse of the ceasefire agreement between the two sides.

Request for Additional War Funding

The US administration asked Congress last month for an additional funding package worth $88 billion, with the largest portion allocated to conflict costs, including $21 billion for munitions, $17.3 billion for military operations, $12.1 billion for classified programs, as well as $11.1 billion to support the agricultural sector, and funding to combat the Ebola outbreak in several African countries.

Hegseth and Kine had last briefed Congress on the war in May, coinciding with the Pentagon's efforts to pass a $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal year 2027.

Questions About the Cost of War

The two officials face sharp questions during the hearing about the continuous rise in war costs, amid criticism from members of Congress. Democratic Senator Patty Murray, the top committee member, will focus on the financial burdens of the conflict, citing that the Pentagon previously received additional funding under the Republican bill known as...