US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clashed sharply with lawmakers on Wednesday during a nearly six-hour hearing before the House Armed Services Committee — his first appearance before Congress since the United States went to war with Iran. The hearing, nominally convened to discuss the administration's proposed $1.5 trillion defence budget for 2027, quickly became a battleground over the costs, legality, and justification of the ongoing conflict with Iran.

The Pentagon's chief financial officer, Jules Hurst, disclosed for the first time that the war has cost the United States $25 billion so far, with most expenses attributable to munitions and equipment replacement. A full cost assessment, he said, would be provided at a later date. The figure drew immediate scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers, who argued it failed to capture the broader economic toll — including sharply rising petrol and food prices linked to Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a significant portion of the world's oil supply passes. Hegseth deflected those concerns by asking lawmakers to consider "the cost of Iran having a nuclear weapon." The US military maintains a naval blockade of Iranian shipping, and three American aircraft carriers are currently deployed to the Middle East simultaneously for the first time in over two decades, though a fragile ceasefire is currently in place.

The partisan divide was stark. Democrats, led by ranking committee member Representative Adam Smith of Washington, challenged the administration's shifting rationale for the conflict. Smith noted that Hegseth had previously said Iran's nuclear facilities were destroyed in a 2025 strike, yet the war began less than a year later on the grounds of an imminent nuclear threat. "We had to start this war because the nuclear weapon was an imminent threat," Smith said. "Now you're saying it was completely obliterated?" Hegseth replied that Iran "had not given up their nuclear ambitions" and retained thousands of missiles. Representative John Garamendi of California accused Hegseth of lying to the American public about the war's justification, calling it "a geopolitical calamity" and "a strategic blunder." Hegseth fired back, accusing critics of handing propaganda to enemies and calling their rhetoric "reckless" to US troops. Most Republicans backed the administration, with some citing Iran's decades-long hostility toward the United States and its nuclear programme as justification.

Beyond the war itself, lawmakers from both parties raised concern over Hegseth's dismissal of several senior military leaders, including Army Chief of Staff General Randy George and Navy Secretary John Phelan. Republican Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska said the firings may be legally permissible but are neither "right nor wise," adding that Congress had strong bipartisan confidence in the ousted officers. Hegseth maintained that "new leadership" was needed to build a "warrior culture" at the Pentagon. There was also pointed questioning over a US air strike early in the conflict that hit a school in the Iranian city of Minab, killing approximately 168 people, including around 110 children, according to Iranian officials. US investigators reportedly believe American forces were likely responsible for the unintentional strike, though Hegseth said the matter "remains under investigation."

The hearing underscores the widening political fault lines over a conflict that was launched without formal congressional authorisation. While a ceasefire has paused the fighting, the US continues its naval blockade, and peace talks remain uncertain. The administration is also seeking a sweeping 40 percent increase in defence spending — what the Pentagon describes as the largest military budget expansion since the Second World War — framing it as essential not only for the Iran campaign but for keeping pace with China's rapid military modernisation. Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine, are scheduled to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.