A key Democratic senator accused the Defense Department of being “profoundly disrespectful to our troops and their families.”

The Iran war has cost the United States at least $45.1 billion, military officials said. The amount covers the conflict through early September.

More US troops have died during the war with Iran than the Pentagon has publicly disclosed, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing six US officials familiar with the Defense Department's internal casualty accounting data.

The Iran war has cost $43.6 billion as of this month, the highest official estimate to date, the Pentagon told Congress’ defense oversight panels this week. The cost estimate comes as polls show Americans increasingly oppose the war,

The Washington Post revealed on Friday that more American service members have died during the ongoing war with Iran than was publicly disclosed by Pete Hegseth’s Department of Defense. The bombshell report by Noah Robertson,

The Pentagon publicly lists 18 US military deaths since the Iran war began. But, The Washington Post has cited six unnamed Pentagon officials who say the toll is at least 22. The Pentagon has declined to explain the discrepancy and Pete Hegseth has called the report ‘a complete lie’.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the Pentagon’s casualty figures while questioning the newspaper’s reliance on anonymous officials for its report

The report raises questions regarding the military’s line-of-duty investigations following service member deaths.

The figure doesn’t include the additional billions of dollars that consumers are bearing due to war-induced inflation.

The Pentagon estimates that the Iran war has cost more than $43.6 billion as of Sept. 3, according to an update shared with Congress.

The Defense Department’s independent watchdog acknowledged the shortfall, a concern the administration has downplayed for months.