Pentagon officials told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing on Tuesday that the cost of the war against Iran has exceeded $11.3 billion in the first six days of operations, according to three people familiar with the meeting .
The estimate, provided to members of Congress on Capitol Hill, covers the period since the start of major combat operations on Feb. 28 . It represents the most detailed accounting of war expenses provided to lawmakers since the conflict began .
The $11.3 billion figure does not include many costs tied to the operation, such as the buildup of military hardware and personnel in the region before the first strikes . Officials expect the final tally for the first week to rise as the Pentagon continues its calculations .
Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, the top Democrat on the Defense Appropriations subcommittee, said the reported $11.3 billion estimate was "roughly accurate" . Coons told reporters that assuming the cost is "well above a billion and a half a day I think would be a fair guess" .
The money spent so far comes from Pentagon funds already approved by Congress . Lawmakers have not approved any additional funding for the war, and the White House has not made a request for a supplemental funding package .
Earlier briefings indicated the military used $5.6 billion worth of munitions in just the first two days of the conflict . That rate of weapons use is far higher than what officials had disclosed publicly before the briefing .
The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, estimated before the briefing that the first 100 hours of the operation cost $3.7 billion, or about $891 million per day . That estimate did not align with the higher figures later presented to lawmakers.
The initial bombardment included expensive munitions such as the AGM-154 glide bomb, which costs between $578,000 and $836,000 per unit . The Navy acquired about 3,000 of these weapons nearly 20 years ago .
Military officials have since said the U.S. will shift to using less expensive weapons, such as Joint Direct Attack Munition kits . These guidance kits cost about $38,000, and the smallest warheads run about $1,000 . The shift in tactics comes as the Pentagon assesses its weapons stockpiles.
The conflict began Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran . Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes . His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was later chosen as his successor .
Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and locations hosting U.S. military assets across the region . Iranian authorities report that more than 1,300 people have been killed in the conflict, including over 150 schoolgirls and senior military officials .
President Donald Trump told reporters in Kentucky on Wednesday that the U.S. has "won" the war but needs to "finish the job" . Trump said the U.S. cannot "leave early" .
Lawmakers from both parties have raised questions about the scope and timeline of the war . Some Republicans have expressed hesitation about approving a costly supplemental funding package for a conflict that could become open-ended . Democrats have said they are unlikely to support emergency funding without more details on U.S. strategy from administration officials .
The Department of Energy announced Wednesday that it has been authorized to release 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve . The release, which will take about 120 days to complete, aims to lower gas and oil prices during the conflict . The move follows an agreement by the International Energy Agency to coordinate the release of 400 million barrels of oil .