House panel backs Iran war cost report requirement

June 6, 2026

1–2 minutes

Summary

A House proposal would require the Pentagon to publicly report the full cost of U.S. operations in Iran by April 2027.

Why this matters

The proposal would require a public accounting of the financial costs of U.S. military operations in Iran, information lawmakers could use in oversight and budget decisions. It also would make those costs available to the public.

The House Armed Services Committee approved a proposal Friday that would require the Department of War to report the total cost of U.S. operations in Iran, including damaged property, expended munitions, and unplanned deployments and mobilizations.

The bipartisan measure was added to the House version of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., introduced the amendment. Moulton, a Marine Corps veteran, previously questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about the cost of the conflict. During an April 29 hearing, Moulton said he believed the cost could reach $100 billion, or about $600 per U.S. taxpayer.

The proposal would require the defense secretary to provide the House and Senate armed services committees with an unclassified assessment of the total cost of the operations by April 1, 2027. The U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran began Feb. 28.

The report would cover damaged or destroyed equipment and property, expended munitions, deployments, and the cost of the ongoing U.S. Navy blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

Pentagon officials estimated May 12 that the war had cost $29 billion, up from $25 billion on April 29. Jules Hurst III, the Defense Department’s acting comptroller, gave those figures to lawmakers during budget hearings on Capitol Hill.

Hurst said the estimate did not include costs to repair damaged military installations in the region.

A Congressional Research Service report released May 13 said 42 U.S. aircraft were lost or damaged during the war, including 25 drones.

The Pentagon has not publicly disclosed how many munitions were used before a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran took effect April 7, citing operational security. A May 27 analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that more than 1,000 Tomahawk missiles were launched in the U.S. strikes and 290 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, interceptors were used.

The measure also would require the Defense Department to post the assessment publicly on its website.

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Artifacts donated by Marine families appear throughout the museum. In the “Ties That Bind” section, visitors can learn about local Marines and their connections to the community.

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The museum also includes an “Innovations” section with interactive exhibits on Marine aviation, technology, and changes across the Corps’ history.

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The lawsuit said Smitherman was hired as county manager on Feb. 1, 2024, and remained in that role until commissioners voted unanimously to terminate him at a board meeting.

Robin Knapp, vice chairman of the Onslow County Board of Commissioners, said the board voted unanimously to terminate the contract because of “His failure to be willing to fulfill his duties as county manager and clerk of Onslow County.”

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Hawaii

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