Pentagon chief Hegseth first public hearing on Iran war: Key takeaways

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has faced his first public questioning from Congress on the US-Israel war with Iran.

Over hours of tense testimony alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, Hegseth batted away questions about the long-term goals and timeline of war, which began with the US-Israel launching attacks on Iran on February 28.
For the first time, the Pentagon publicly put the price tag of the war so far at $25bn, with Hegseth delivering an at-times caustic defence of US President Donald Trump’s policy. Hegseth also defended the White House’s historic request of a $1.5 trillion defence budget.

He spoke shortly after the war with Iran passed its two-month mark. Fighting has been largely paused since April 8, with the US imposing a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump has repeatedly promised to resume attacks if no progress is made on stalled ceasefire talks, writing on social media early Wednesday, there would be “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY“.

Here are some key moments from Hegseth’s hearing.

$25-billion pricetag
Speaking alongside Hegseth, Jules Hurst III, the Pentagon’s acting comptroller, publicly put an official price tag on the war for the first time at $25bn. Hurst said “most of that” price was in munitions, as well as the cost of surging assets to the Middle East and equipment lost in the fighting.

During later questioning, Hegseth would not say if the figure accounted for damage to US military bases in the region or the cost of backfilling the US weapons stock. The US media has reported that the administration is considering asking Congress for $200bn more for the war effort, although an official request has not yet been made.