Wednesday's contentious House Armed Services Committee hearing with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth marked the first time the Pentagon disclosed an official cost estimate for the Iran conflict while revealing new details about stalled diplomacy and military posture in the Strait of Hormuz.
During the hearing, Pentagon Chief Financial Officer Jay Hurst confirmed for the first time that the war has cost $25 billion so far. The disclosure came after months of Democratic requests for a specific figure.
The fighting remains on hold, but the U.S. maintains its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has threatened to close using mines and drones. PBS NewsHour learned that the USS Gerald R. Ford, currently in the region, will soon head home after a record-setting 10 months at sea.
Iran recently offered to open the strait if the U.S. lifted its own blockade and paused any discussion of Iranian nuclear limits. President Trump rejected that offer Wednesday.
President Donald Trump: "At this moment, there will never be a deal unless they agree that there will be no nuclear weapons."
U.S. officials say they will maintain the blockade, enforced just yesterday by Marines on a commercial tanker, and keep up maximum economic pressure, hoping Iran loosens its demands.
What the Left Is Saying
House Democrats continued their criticism of the administration's handling of the conflict and military leadership decisions. Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) argued the president had walked into a quagmire.
The president has got himself in America stuck in a quagmire of another war in the Middle East. He's desperately trying to extricate himself from his own mistakes, Garamendi said.
Hegseth responded sharply: You call it a quagmire, handing propaganda to our enemies? Shame on you for that statement.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) challenged the $25 billion figure as incomplete, arguing it fails to account for economic impacts on American families.
Do you know how much it will cost Americans in terms of their increased cost in gas and food over the next year because of the Iran war? Khanna asked Hegseth. Your $25 billion number is totally off. It's the incompetence.
What the Right Is Saying
Republicans largely maintained their support for the defense secretary, with some offering effusive praise. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) told Hegseth she had seen him surpass all her expectations and thanked him from the bottom of her heart.
Hegseth himself struck a combative tone against Democratic criticism.
The biggest challenge, the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans, Hegseth said during his opening statement.
Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) framed the conflict in broader strategic terms, noting China's military modernization and calling the administration's $1.45 trillion budget request necessary to address what he called China's People's Liberation Army's growing advantage.
What the Numbers Show
The Pentagon disclosed that the Iran war has cost $25 billion so far, according to Chief Financial Officer Jay Hurst's estimate during Wednesday's hearing.
The administration is requesting a record $1.45 trillion defense budget, representing a 40 percent increase over previous levels. The request includes funding for drones, missile defense, and increased boat building.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine called the budget a much-needed long-term investment to address changing warfare technology.
China announced another 7 percent increase in defense spending this year, with Rogers noting they are spending more of their GDP on defense than the United States.
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier has been deployed for a record-setting 10 months and will soon return home.
The Bottom Line
Wednesday's hearing demonstrated that while Republicans largely remain reluctant to publicly challenge Hegseth, Democratic opposition has intensified amid rising war costs and questions about military leadership firings.
The $25 billion disclosure marks the first official Pentagon estimate of conflict costs, though Democrats argue it underestimates total economic impact on American consumers through higher gas and food prices.
Diplomatic efforts appear stalled. Iran offered to open the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for lifted sanctions and suspended nuclear negotiations, but Trump rejected the proposal outright, insisting Iran must agree to no nuclear weapons first.
With both sides maintaining positions requiring fundamental capitulation from their adversary, there is no immediate resolution in sight. The U.S. continues enforcing its blockade while Iran threatens to use mines and drones to control one of the world's critical oil shipping lanes.