US lawmakers pressed Pentagon chiefs for details on the mounting costs of America’s deadlocked war with Iran, amid signs the conflict is pushing up consumer prices at home too. President Donald Trump said the Islamic Republic will be “decimated” if a deal can’t be reached.
Politics Facebook X LinkedIn Email Link Gift Expand US President Donald Trump at The White House in Washington DC, on May 11.
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Send a tip to our reporters Site feedback: Take our Survey New Window Facebook X LinkedIn Email Link Gift By Kate Sullivan , Hadriana Lowenkron , and Jen Judson May 12, 2026 at 7:58 AM UTC Updated on May 12, 2026 at 8:13 PM UTC Bookmark Save US lawmakers pressed Pentagon chiefs for details on the mounting costs of America’s deadlocked war with Iran, amid signs the conflict is pushing up consumer prices at home too. President Donald Trump said the Islamic Republic will be “decimated” if a deal can’t be reached.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to give a breakdown of costs as he faced questions about the conflict in Congress, as part of a hearing on the administration’s unprecedented $1.5 trillion defense spending request for next year. Jules Hurst, the Pentagon’s acting comptroller, said the war’s estimated price tag has risen closer to $29 billion, from a $25 billion estimate that had been questioned as unrealistically low.
