Pete Hegseth's Pentagon hammers Trump days before midterms as it reveals staggering cost of Iran war

Pete Hegseth ’s Pentagon has now spent more than $47 billion waging the war in Iran , handing Donald Trump a damaging new spending figure just days before the midterms . The number, drawn from Pentagon data obtained by Reuters, is more than 25 percent higher than the $37.5 billion estimate Hegseth gave lawmakers over the summer. The Defense Department has not made the estimate public. It comes as Republicans face the real possibility of losing their majorities in both the House and the Senate in the November 3 election .

The GOP holds only a narrow edge in each chamber, and forecasters have Democrats favored to take the House. Voters in key battleground states have turned against the party amid rising costs and the deepening unpopularity of Trump’s war. Soaring energy prices tied to the conflict have dragged down Republican candidates and battered the president’s approval ratings. Some GOP candidates in those swing states have already started breaking with Trump on Iran.

Most of the new estimate covers the operational cost of fighting the war, from flight operations to cyber support. Replacing the munitions fired during the conflict is projected to cost more than $29 billion, according to the report. Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon has now spent more than $47 billion waging the war in Iran, handing Donald Trump a damaging new spending figure just days before the midterms Replacing the munitions fired during the conflict is projected to cost more than $29 billion The Defense Department has not made the estimate public.

It comes as Republicans face the real possibility of losing their majorities in both the House and the Senate in the November 3 election Moreover, replacing lost equipment and so-called ‘platform losses,’ including aircraft and a large number of drones, would cost more than $6 billion. The figures do not clearly account for what is expected to be a massive bill to repair US bases hit by Iranian missiles and drones. Your browser does not support iframes.

Trump launched the war alongside Israel in February and predicted it would be over quickly. His opening plan was to pound Iran’s defenses with costly, high-end precision missiles, then switch to cheaper and more plentiful weapons such as JDAM gravity bombs. The pause gave Iran time to dig out its underground storage sites and bring some of its defenses, missiles and drones back online. Trump has since imposed a naval blockade on Iran to choke off its oil export revenue.

He has also floated restarting combat operations once the midterms are over. US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Pentagon has been drawing up plans to resume heavy fighting if ordered to do so. Replacing lost equipment and so-called ‘platform losses,’ including aircraft and a large number of drones, would cost more than $6 billion The Trump administration has warned Gulf allies to brace for a short, ferocious military campaign against Iran as soon as the midterm elections are over.

The message went to several Gulf Arab governments through diplomatic and military channels, The Wall Street Journal reported. American forces in the region are already gearing up, restocking munitions and readying bombers and fighter jets for strikes.