A fresh war of words has erupted over the cost of the ongoing US-Iran conflict, with Iran Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi accusing Washington of significantly understating the financial burden of the war, even as the Pentagon pegged the price tag at $25 billion.
Araghchi claimed the Pentagon is lying about the true economic toll of the conflict launched on February 28 under Donald Trump in coordination with Benjamin Netanyahu.
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“Netanyahu's gamble has directly cost America $100 billion so far, four times what is claimed,” Araghchi wrote on X.
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The Pentagon is lying. Netanyahu's gamble has directly cost America $100b so far, four times what is claimed.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) May 1, 2026
Indirect costs for U.S. taxpayers are FAR higher. Monthly bill for each American household is $500 and rising fast.
Israel First always means America Last. pic.twitter.com/onailLYFdL
He further alleged that indirect costs are “far higher”, adding that the “monthly bill for each American household is $500 and rising fast,” and concluding, “Israel First always means America Last.”
In contrast, a senior Pentagon official offered the first formal estimate of the war's cost this week. Jules Hurst told the House Armed Services Committee that the conflict has cost the United States about $25 billion so far, with the bulk of spending directed towards munitions.
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Hurst did not specify whether the estimate includes longer-term expenses such as rebuilding damaged military infrastructure in the Middle East. The lack of clarity drew a sharp response from Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the committee, who said: “I'm glad you answered that question. Because we've been asking for a hell of a long time, and no one's given us the number.”
The $25 billion figure is roughly equivalent to the annual budget of NASA, though questions remain over how the Pentagon arrived at the estimate.
A Reuters report last month cited sources suggesting that the first six days of the war alone may have cost at least $11.3 billion.
Defending the expenditure, Pete Hegseth argued that the costs are justified in light of Washington's objective of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“What would you pay to ensure Iran does not get a nuclear bomb? What would you pay?” he told lawmakers, dismissing criticism of the war as “reckless, feckless, and defeatist.”
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