American military expenditures for the war in Iran have mounted to $37.5 billion, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth revealed Tuesday, reflecting an increase of almost $8 billion compared to prior official estimates, Reuters reported.
Appearing before congressional lawmakers in Washington, Hegseth explained that the updated calculation encompasses ongoing operations as well as projected spending through September 30.
The exact breakdown of how the Department of Defense calculated the $37.5 billion total was not made explicit.
Hegseth cautioned the panel that the Armed Forces will be forced to scale back routine military training unless Congress provides a swift injection of emergency funding.
The testimony marked Hegseth's first public appearance before lawmakers to answer questions since US military strikes against Iran resumed earlier this month. He was joined at the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine.
The surge in costs follows the collapse of a fragile truce between Washington and Tehran earlier this month, leading both nations to engage in persistent reciprocal strikes.
Over the weekend, the count of US service members killed in the conflict climbed to 17. Meanwhile, investigators continue working to identify remains belonging to another military member declared missing after a strike on a base in Jordan.
Authorities confirmed that two of the 17 fatal casualties died during an Iranian assault targeting American personnel stationed in Jordan.
Since the conflict began in late February, approximately 430 U.S. service members have sustained injuries. While Pentagon officials stated Monday that 100 personnel were wounded since July 7 - with 96 percent already returning to duty - it remains uncertain how many of those casualties overlap with the 430 recorded in the Department's public records.