Hegseth tells Congress Iran war has cost $37.5 billion, Trump threatens to strike underground nuclear site

Cost of the war

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disclosed on Tuesday that the war against Iran has cost the United States $37.5 billion (€32.82 billion) so far. The figure, presented to the Senate Budget Committee, marks an increase of nearly $8 billion from the last official estimate of roughly $29.5 billion. Hegseth said the sum includes projected expenses through September 30. The conflict began on February 28, when the US and Israel launched joint airstrikes, and has now entered its fifth month with varying intensity. Hegseth acknowledged that the US military needs additional resources to sustain operations.

The requested supplemental budget is not meant to replace the regular defense budget.

Budget request

Hegseth, who calls himself a war minister, urged lawmakers to approve a $67 billion supplemental budget for the Department of Defense. He stressed that the funds would secure operational readiness, replace expended materiel, and accelerate investments in munitions and new weapons systems. The secretary also set a target of a $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal year 2026, citing the global security environment. The hearing was the first time Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine faced public questioning since the US military resumed operations against Iran earlier in July.

Nuclear threat

President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric on Tuesday, threatening to strike Iran's underground nuclear facility at Pickaxe Mountain, near Natanz. Western intelligence agencies suspect Iran has built a secret uranium enrichment plant at the deeply buried site.

We will attack this area quite soon and very hard.

Trump added that he would not normally disclose targets, but that Iran could do nothing to stop it. Speaking during a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House, Trump said the US was "far from finished" with Iran. The US government has stated its goal is to prevent Iran from ever obtaining nuclear weapons.

Protests and escalation

Hegseth's testimony was interrupted several times in a row by demonstrators demanding an end to the war. Security personnel removed the group from the hearing room. The disruptions came as violence flared again: a ceasefire and framework agreement for deeper negotiations, reached in April, have been overshadowed by mutual attacks in recent days. The US has struck Iranian targets every night for more than a week, while Iran retaliated against Gulf states allied with Washington. Fears are growing that the conflict will escalate further.