Trump urged Iran to make a deal as a Pentagon official told Congress the war has cost about $25 billion and Tehran warned of wider shipping disruption.
President Trump issued a new warning to Iran on Wednesday, urging Tehran to “get smart soon” and make a deal to end the war, as the Pentagon told Congress the conflict has cost an estimated $25 billion so far.
The comments came as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and vessels continued to strain shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for Middle Eastern energy supplies. Tehran has refused direct peace negotiations with the U.S. while the blockade remains in place, and Iranian officials and state media signaled the standoff could widen if Washington does not back down.
At a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Jules Hurst III, the acting undersecretary of war for finances, said most of the war’s cost has gone toward munitions, with additional spending on operations and replacing equipment. Hurst said the administration would send Congress a supplemental funding request once it has a fuller assessment of the conflict’s cost.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, appearing before lawmakers for the first time since the Trump administration launched its joint war with Israel against Iran, declined to say how much longer U.S. operations might last or how much more money the Pentagon could seek. Asked by Rep. Chrissy Houlahan for a rough estimate, Hegseth said the military would not reveal to an adversary how long it expected to remain committed to a mission.
The White House defended the blockade as a source of pressure. Deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly said the U.S. now has “maximum leverage over the regime” and that Trump would accept only a deal that protects U.S. national security. The White House did not deny that the administration is considering extending the blockade for months, according to the report.
The U.S. military says it has forced at least 39 ships to turn around after they tried to enter or leave Iranian ports in breach of the blockade. Iran, meanwhile, has allowed only a few oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days and has seized two ships it accused of violating its restrictions on the waterway.
Iranian state-run Press TV, citing an unnamed high-ranking security source, warned Wednesday that a prolonged U.S. blockade would bring “practical and unprecedented military action.” A senior Iranian lawmaker also renewed a threat that Tehran could ask Houthi allies in Yemen to disrupt the Bab el-Mandeb strait, another major energy chokepoint.
The economic pressure is spreading beyond the region. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that the war is costing the European Union nearly 500 million euros, or about $600 million, every day as energy prices rise and concerns grow about fuel supplies. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany and Europe were suffering from the consequences of the Strait of Hormuz closure and urged that the conflict be resolved.
Trump also told reporters in the Oval Office that he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Ukraine and “a little bit about Iran.” Asked which war he thought would end first, Trump said, “I don’t know, maybe they’re on a similar timetable.”
For now, the blockade remains in place, direct U.S.-Iran talks remain stalled, and lawmakers are pressing the administration to explain both the cost and the endgame.
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