Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has warned that the expanding war with Iran could cost taxpayers an additional $200 billion, declaring that “it takes money to kill bad guys.”
The jaw-dropping figure—which is more than the discretionary U.S. health budget and more than the total aid package for the Ukraine war—comes despite Hegseth also boasting that Iran is being decimated.
But as the conflict entered its third week, with an energy crisis escalating in the Gulf, Hegseth was asked about reports overnight that the Pentagon wanted Congress to approve a $200 billion funding request for war in Iran.
“As far as $200 billion, I think that number could move,” he said.
“Obviously, it takes money to kill bad guys, so we’re going back to Congress and our folks there to ensure that we’re properly funded for what’s been done, and for what we may have to do in the future. (It’s to) ensure that our ammunition is everything’s refilled, and not just refilled, but above and beyond.”
The funding request comes amid growing uncertainty about how long the war may continue as the conflict enters a dangerous new phase following Israeli strikes on Iran’s critical energy infrastructure.
Overnight, Israel targeted the South Pars gas field—the world’s largest natural gas reserve—in a move that marked a significant escalation by directly hitting Iran’s economic lifeline.
Iran responded swiftly, launching retaliatory missile and drone strikes targeting energy infrastructure in Qatar and other Gulf states.
Facilities in Qatar, including key liquefied natural gas operations, were forced to shut down, disrupting a major portion of global LNG supply.
Trump, in turn, launched a panicked post on Truth Social, demanding the strikes stop and insisting he had no prior knowledge that Israel was going to attack such a key piece of energy infrastructure.
But this was swiftly contradicted by sources inside both the U.S. and Israeli governments, who told the Wall Street Journal and Axios that Trump personally approved the strike before deciding to deny any knowledge of it.
Despite the tensions, Hegseth told reporters on Thursday that America’s objectives for the war remained “unchanged and on target.”
“We’re hunting and striking: death and destruction from above,” said the often performative former Fox News host. “We’re winning decisively and on our terms.”
He also lashed out at the media for how it was reporting the war, claiming that “the anti-Trump press will stop at nothing, we know this at this point, to downplay progress.
“Sadly, TDS is in their DNA,” he said, a reference to Trump Derangement Syndrome, a term that is often used by MAGA to describe negative reactions to the President. “They want President Trump to fail.”
Hegseth also took aim at America’s global allies for not doing more to help the war in Iran.
With gas prices now soaring due to the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump begged America’s allies to join the conflict, only to be humiliated when they rejected his pleas.
After spending the weekend rallying for support, he declared on Tuesday that “we don’t need their help”, only to write on Truth Social on Wednesday that they ought to “step up” in the Strait.
“The world, the Middle East, our ungrateful allies in Europe, even segments of our own press should be saying one thing to President Trump: thank you,” said Hegseth.
But the demand for gratitude comes amid figures showing Europe’s benchmark natural gas price has climbed by around 65% since a month ago, following the start of the war in Iran.
In the U.S, the national average price of gasoline has reached $3.90 per gallon, according to GasBuddy, while diesel has climbed to $5.09 per gallon.
The Pentagon’s estimated $200 billion funding request comes after the first six days of the war exceeded $11 billion in unbudgeted costs within the first week. By comparison, about $180 billion has been spent to help Ukraine defend itself from Russia, while the discretionary budget for the Department of Health is roughly $120-$150 billion a year.
