An official performing the duties of the Pentagon comptroller briefed Congress on Tuesday and reported that U.S. military operations in Iran have cost $29 billion to date.
Jules Hurst, acting in the role of comptroller, said the figure reflects a $4 billion rise from an assessment provided in late April. The earlier estimate had placed total costs at $25 billion.
Hurst said the revised total includes expenses tied to repair and replacement of military equipment as well as operational costs associated with the conflict.
During the briefing, Representative Rosa DeLauro (D., Conn.) pressed officials about the scope and timing of the accounting, saying, "We don’t know what that includes, or for what time period." She added, "This was only supposed to last six weeks. We have thus far been unable to get any reliable information as to the true cost of this war."
The briefing also referenced an argument by the Trump administration that the conflict concluded on April 7, when the U.S. and Iran entered into a cease-fire. That position, the administration has said, permitted the White House to bypass a 60-day deadline for congressional approval of the military action.
The Pentagon has not supplied lawmakers with a line-item breakdown showing how the additional $4 billion was allocated among types of spending, nor has it provided further detail on the specific projects or operations covered by the increase.
Lawmakers and budget analysts continue to seek a clearer accounting of the costs reported by the Pentagon. At the same time, the information provided so far attributes the increase to equipment repair and replacement and to operational expenditures, without offering a more granular reconciliation of the additional amount.
Contextual note - The updated $29 billion figure, the $4 billion increase and the characterization of included expenses are those disclosed by the acting comptroller during the congressional briefing; the Pentagon has not released a categorical distribution of the new costs.