Gavin Newsom, California's Democratic governor, criticized Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on social media over conflicting assessments of the Iran war's financial toll. Newsom posted on X that the Trump administration has "no plan in Iran" and that Hegseth "doesn't even know the cost," arguing that Americans are bearing the burden through higher fuel prices. His comments followed reporting that internal U.S. government estimates place the war's expense closer to $50 billion—roughly double the Pentagon's figure presented to Congress this week.
A Pentagon official testified Wednesday that Operation Epic Fury had cost approximately $25 billion to date. However, according to reporting by CBS News and CNN, that public estimate omits significant expenses, including damaged or destroyed equipment and military installations. Internal assessments cited by officials familiar with them suggest the actual cost falls between $40 billion and $50 billion.
Much of the gap between official and estimated figures stems from equipment losses and replacement costs. The Pentagon has lost 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones in operations, aircraft that cost $30 million or more each. Pentagon acting Comptroller Jules Hurst told senators Thursday that military construction costs remained difficult to estimate because the department has not yet determined its future operational posture or base requirements.
The cost debate has become a political issue on Capitol Hill. During a House hearing Wednesday, Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, pressed Hegseth on how much the war would cost American households through elevated gas and food prices. Hegseth declined to answer directly, instead asking Khanna about the cost of an Iranian nuclear weapon and accusing him of posing "gotcha questions about domestic things."
The Trump administration and Iranian officials have engaged in talks since hostilities paused in April, with negotiations aimed at a broader accord to end the conflict and restrict Iran's nuclear capabilities. As of reporting, those discussions remained stalled, though Trump told reporters Thursday that Iranian officials "want to make a deal badly."
