The United States has spent approximately $29 billion on the war against Iran so far, according to the Pentagon.
Department of War Chief Financial Officer Jules Hurst disclosed the figure on May 12 during testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. Hurst said that rising repair costs, equipment replacement, and ongoing military operations contributed to the updated total.
The department had estimated the war’s cost at $25 billion on April 29.
“The joint staff team and the comptroller team are constantly looking at that estimate,” Hurst said on Tuesday. He was speaking alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine.
The growing financial burden comes as Americans face rising gas prices linked to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy shipping route that has been heavily affected by the conflict.
Brent crude oil futures climbed to nearly $108 per barrel on May 12 as the ongoing standoff kept much of the Strait effectively closed. Before the outbreak of war on Feb. 28, the narrow passage handled roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
U.S. Central Command said the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln remains deployed in the Arabian Sea to enforce the American blockade against Iran. Military officials said U.S. forces have redirected 65 commercial vessels and disabled four others in the region.
Meanwhile, Kuwait announced the arrest of four individuals allegedly linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps who attempted to enter the country by sea, according to state news agency KUNA. Iranian authorities did not immediately respond to the report.
Iranian officials signaled continued defiance amid mounting U.S. pressure.
According to Iran’s Fars news agency, Mohammad Akbarzadeh, deputy political director of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, said Iran had expanded its operational definition of the Strait of Hormuz under a new military strategy. He described the zone as stretching from the coastal city of Jask in the east to Siri Island in the west.
Iranian officials did not immediately comment further on Akbarzadeh’s remarks.
In a post on X, Iranian parliamentary national security commission spokesperson Ebrahim Rezaei warned that Iran could enrich uranium to 90 percent purity—a weapons-grade level—if the country faced another attack.
State television in Tehran also reported that the Revolutionary Guard Corps conducted military drills focused on “preparation to confront the enemy.”
On May 11, the United States imposed additional sanctions targeting individuals and companies accused of helping Iran export oil to China. U.S. officials said the measures are intended to cut funding for Tehran’s military and nuclear programs while increasing pressure on financial institutions accused of circumventing existing sanctions.
President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday, where Iran is anticipated to be one of the key issues discussed with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Reuters contributed to this report.
