Military campaign against Iran costs Washington $37.5B
Shafaq News- Washington
US military campaign against Iran has cost $37.5 billion so far, nearly $8 billion more than the last publicly disclosed estimate, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth revealed on Tuesday.
Speaking to US lawmakers, Hegseth said the figure also includes projected costs through September 30.
He accused Russia and China are helping Iran, to varying degrees, in carrying out some of its activities. However, Hegseth acknowledged the limits of the campaign, noting that Washington cannot eliminate every Iranian fast attack boat, every machine gun mounted on one, or every cruise missile. The war secretary also described Iran as being at its weakest military point ever, claiming that it still retains military capabilities.
.@SECWAR “Iran is at the WEAKEST POINT MILITARILY it has ever been in...I acknowledge they still have capabilities, no doubt, but the amount of damage that we have done to them over the course of these series of operations has put them in the WORST PLACE THEY’VE EVER BEEN.” pic.twitter.com/mLr1AeHuzb
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) July 21, 2026
US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it had redirected eight commercial vessels and disabled one vessel since resuming its blockade of Iranian ports.
Every operational success in the Middle East begins and ends with service members focused on their missions, including the U.S. blockade against Iran. As of July 21, U.S. forces have redirected 8 commercial vessels and disabled 1 to fully enforce the blockade. pic.twitter.com/e9020BcaCQ
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 21, 2026
Earlier today, CENTCOM also said maritime traffic continues through Hormuz, adding that US forces have helped secure the passage of nearly 900 commercial vessels carrying 450 million barrels of crude oil since the beginning of May.
