California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) took a swing at U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over the cost of the Iran war, after a report suggested the real price tag is closer to $50 billion — roughly double what the Pentagon told Congress this week.
Newsom, a Democrat and frequent critic of President Donald Trump, posted on X: "Trump has no plan in Iran. Hegseth doesn't even know the cost. The American people are paying for their incompetence — every day at the pump." His post cited a CBS News report quoting U.S. officials familiar with internal assessments who believe the true cost is closer to $50 billion.
A Pentagon official testified Wednesday that Operation Epic Fury had cost about $25 billion so far. But that figure doesn't fully account for damaged or destroyed equipment or military installations. CNN first reported that the real estimate was between $40 billion and $50 billion.
Much of the gap comes from munitions that have been used and need replacing. CBS notes the Pentagon has lost 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones, each costing $30 million or more. That alone highlights how attrition costs have piled up beyond the headline spending numbers.
Pentagon acting Comptroller Jules Hurst told senators Thursday that military construction costs are hard to estimate because the department doesn't yet know its future posture or base needs.
The pocketbook fallout has become a political flashpoint. At a House hearing Wednesday, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) asked Hegseth whether he knew how much the war would cost Americans through higher gas and food prices. Hegseth didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "What is the cost of an Iranian nuclear bomb?" and accused Khanna of "playing gotcha questions about domestic things."
The Trump administration and Iranian officials have held talks since hostilities paused in April, aiming for a broader agreement to end the conflict and curb Iran's nuclear program. Those talks remain stalled, though Trump told reporters Thursday that Iranian officials "want to make a deal badly."
