Pentagon Says Iran War Costs Have Risen To $29 Billion

The cost of the war with Iran has increased by $4 billion since the Pentagon’s previous public estimate less than two weeks ago, officials said Tuesday. The figure marks a rise from the $25 billion estimate provided to lawmakers at the end of April, which was the first official public total.

Pentagon officials had earlier requested $200 billion from Congress to fund the war and reported that costs exceeded $11.3 billion in the first six days alone.

The true cost remains uncertain, with different figures circulated by government officials and outside analysts. CBS News reported at the end of April, citing unnamed U.S. officials, that spending had reached closer to $50 billion, with much of the money directed toward munitions.

University of Michigan professor Justin Wolfers wrote in The New York Times that broader economic costs, including higher inflation, potential job losses, stock market disruption and slower GDP growth, could bring the overall impact into the hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollars.

Since 2023 Consumer prices rose 3.8 percent from April 2025, the highest annual growth rate since May 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. Prices increased 0.6 percent between March and April. Surveys indicate Americans hold generally negative views of the administration’s handling of the economy, with sentiment worsening since the start of the conflict.

A CNN/SSRS poll released Tuesday found 77 percent of respondents, including a majority of Republicans, said the policies have increased the cost of living. The poll reported the administration’s approval rating on the economy at 30 percent. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen.

Dan Caine appeared before the House hearing examining the 2027 budget for the Department of Defense on the same day the updated cost figures were presented.