The war with Iran has cost the United States $37.5 billion, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. However, experts previously told CNN that the real final bill will most likely be significantly higher.

During budget hearings, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin asked the Pentagon chief whether he expects costs to rise, given that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran has effectively collapsed.

Hegseth replied that the announced figure of $37.5 billion partially includes current operating expenses, such as troop food support, calculated through the end of the current fiscal year.

In March, analysts estimated that the war against Iran was costing American taxpayers more than $890 million per day, based on data on known military operations and cost estimates prepared for Congress. These expenses cover air and naval operations, the maintenance of ground forces, the use of weapons systems, and missile interception, with the initial phase of the conflict proving to be the most expensive.

In May, Pentagon comptroller Jules “Jay” Hurst III estimated preliminary costs at $29 billion.

Last month, a preliminary analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) showed that the conflict had cost the U.S. Department of Defense about $40 billion. However, that figure does not include operating expenses that had already been built into the department’s budget for fiscal year 2026, which exceeds $1 trillion, CSIS senior adviser Mark Cancian told CNN.