Defense Secretary Requests Additional $67 Billion as Iran Conflict Costs Rise
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate committee that the war with Iran has cost $37.5 billion and asked Congress for an extra $67 billion, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed his commander-in-chief amid protests.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the conflict with Iran has so far cost about $37.5 billion and urged Congress to approve an additional $67 billion for the remainder of the fiscal year. The request was made during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has nearly halted and Iran-backed Houthi rebels have expanded naval blockades in the Red Sea. Hegseth noted that the $67 billion request is on top of the $891 billion already authorized for the Pentagon through September 30, while President Donald Trump is seeking $1.5 trillion for the 2027 fiscal year.
"The cost of the Iran war is $37.5 billion, and we need additional funding to sustain our operations," Hegseth told the committee.
Senate Democrats questioned the lack of progress in the conflict, which the president has repeatedly claimed the United States has already won. Meanwhile, Brent crude rose more than 4 % to around $95 a barrel, and only four cargo ships and two oil tankers passed the Strait of Hormuz in a 24-hour period.
In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy removed his military commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, days after the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov sparked rare wartime protests. Zelenskyy said the decision left him with no alternative between the two senior officials. Syrskyi, known as “The Butcher,” had claimed Ukraine recaptured 270 square miles of territory this year before his departure. The president named Mykhailo Drapatyi as Syrskyi’s successor, while Fedorov’s future role remains uncertain.
"We had to make a choice; the situation forced my hand," Zelenskyy said after meeting with Fedorov.
Other items in the briefing included a software error that mistakenly registered about 6,600 non-citizens to vote in New Jersey, a lawsuit by a former U.S. attorney against the Trump administration, and a health official’s statement that a cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded lettuce is under control.