Trump admin estimates US war on Iran cost $11.3bn in first 6 days: Report

Lawmakers express concerns as Trump officials project $50bn more may be needed for Iran war funding.Published On 12 Mar 2026Officials from President Donald Trump’s administration have estimated during a congressional briefing this week that the first six days of the war on Iran had cost the United States at least $11.3bn, a source familiar with the matter told the Reuters news agency.That figure, from a closed-door briefing for senators on Tuesday, did not include the entire cost of the war, but was provided to lawmakers as they have clamoured for more information about the cost.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Iran-linked hackers hit medical giant Stryker in retaliatory cyberattacklist 2 of 3Iran’s authorities warn against protests as Israel threatens Basij forceslist 3 of 3Qatar PM urges resilience and unity amid Iran strikesend of listSeveral congressional aides have said they expect the White House to soon submit a request to Congress for additional funding for the war. Some officials have said the request could be for $50bn, while others have said that estimate seems low.The administration has not provided a public assessment of the cost of the conflict or a clear idea of its expected duration. Trump said during a trip to Kentucky on Wednesday that “we won” the war but that the US would stay in the fight to finish the job.The $11.3bn figure was first reported on Wednesday by The New York Times.The human costThe US-Israeli war on Iran has so far killed about 2,000 people, mostly Iranians and Lebanese, as the conflict has spread across the Middle East, with Iranian retaliatory strikes on neighbouring countries hosting US assets, sending energy prices soaring.The United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF) says the “intensifying conflict” has killed or wounded 1,100 children, creating a “catastrophic” situation for millions of children across the Middle East.