The Iran war now has a price tag ($25 billion), but still no end date

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. The Iran war now has a price tag ($25 billion), but still no end date April 29, 2026 3:48 PM ET Greg Myre Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies about the Iran war before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. Hegseth described the military operation as a major success and criticized 'defeatist' Democrats who pushed back against his assessment of the war. /AP hide caption toggle caption Rod Lamkey Jr.

/AP The war in Iran has cost an estimated $25 billion so far, according to a Pentagon estimate. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth offered no indication of when the conflict might end during combative testimony before a congressional committee Wednesday. In a testy exchange before the House Armed Services Committee, Hegseth was grilled by Rep.

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Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington. Smith asked the defense secretary how he thought the war would ultimately play out. "You have to stare down this kind of enemy who's hell-bent on getting a nuclear weapon, and get them to a point where they're at the table, giving it up," Hegseth said.

Sponsor Message "So they haven't broken yet," Smith responded. Hegseth said Iran's "nuclear facilities have been obliterated," including stockpiles of highly enriched uranium that are believed to be buried underground due to U. air strikes last June.

Middle East conflict Deadlock over Iran's nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz cripples peace efforts Smith said the Trump administration launched the current war two months ago saying an Iranian nuclear weapon "was an imminent threat. Now you're saying it's completely obliterated. " Hegseth responded by saying that Iran "had not given up their nuclear ambitions.

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" Over the course of his testimony, Hegseth was asked several times about the cost of the war. He respnded by saying, "What is it worth to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon? " The Pentagon's comptroller, Jay Hurst, also appeared at the hearing and said that the war has cost an estimated $25 billion so far.

The main expense has been weapons fired at Iran, he added. The Pentagon says it hit some 13,000 targets in Iran before Trump declared a ceasefire on April 7. Hurst's testimony marked the first time the Trump administration has publicly offered a cost estimate on the war.

The Iran war dominated the hearing, which was scheduled to discuss the Pentagon's budget for next year. The Trump administration is asking for around $1. 5 trillion, a massive increase from this year's allocation of a little under $1 trillion.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.