US Budget Drained Dry, Cost of Iran War Reaches Rp 431 Trillion
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The United States’ military budget has been completely drained due to the armed conflict in the Middle East. This was revealed after the Pentagon published that the cost of the war against Iran so far has reached a fantastic figure of US$25 billion (Rp 431 trillion).
Citing Reuters, the figure is the first official estimate issued by the US Department of Defense regarding the cost of the conflict. That budget is equivalent to NASA’s entire annual budget and emerges amid political pressures ahead of the midterm elections, where President Donald Trump’s Republican Party is struggling to maintain its majority seats in the House of Representatives.
Jules Hurst, who is serving as financial overseer (comptroller), revealed to committee members in the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that most of the funds have been spent on ammunition. However, Hurst did not detail whether the estimate already includes the cost of rebuilding damaged base infrastructure in the Middle East.
“I’m glad you answered that question. Because we’ve been asking it for a long time, and no one has given us that figure,” said Adam Smith, a senior Democratic politician on the committee, in response to Hurst’s statement, quoted on Thursday (30/4/2026).
Although the US$25 billion figure has been released, there is still uncertainty about how the Pentagon calculated that value. This is because internal sources previously mentioned to Reuters last month that the Donald Trump administration estimated that the first six days of the war alone had already spent at least US$11.3 billion (Rp 194.958 trillion).
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the large expenditure before policymakers on the grounds of national security. Hegseth emphasised that the cost is worth the main goal of the United States to ensure Iran does not possess nuclear weapons.
“How much are you willing to pay to ensure Iran doesn’t get a nuclear bomb? How much would you pay?” Hegseth asked the council members.
In a fiery statement, Hegseth also counter-attacked Democratic politicians who criticised the conflict as a quagmire that ensnares. He considered such criticism as propaganda ammunition for America’s enemies abroad.
“You call it a quagmire, giving propaganda to our enemies? Shame on that statement. Democrats in Congress are reckless, weak, and defeatist,” Hegseth firmly stated in response to criticism from John Garamendi.
This conflict is known to have begun since the US launched attacks against Iran on 28 February 2026, which is now in a fragile ceasefire position. The war has not only consumed material costs but also lives, with 13 US soldiers killed and hundreds others wounded amid the deployment of tens of thousands of additional troops to the Middle East.
The rise in war costs has a direct impact on the US domestic economy, particularly in the surge in oil and natural gas prices that trigger high inflation in fuel and agricultural product prices. Based on data from the American Automobile Association, the average petrol price in the US on Tuesday reached the highest level in nearly four years.
This difficult economic situation has led to a decline in Trump’s popularity in the eyes of the public. Based on the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, only 34% of Americans approve of the conflict with Iran, a figure that continues to decline compared to the mid-March position which was still at 38%.