WASHINGTON -- Steve Hanke, a professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University, has estimated that the Trump administration’s war on Iran will ultimately cost $1 trillion, dismissing the figures presented to Congress by U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as “tiny numbers.” 
Writing on X on Saturday, Hanke urged lawmakers to “forget the tiny numbers” and warned that “at the end of the day, the Iran war will cost $1 trillion.” 
His remarks come as Democratic lawmakers intensify pressure on Hegseth over the war’s mounting costs and consequences, with some calling for his removal.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said earlier this month that Hegseth had abused his power and engineered a costly war that has driven up prices for Americans without advancing any legitimate security interest. 
Jeffries also said he would support a forthcoming impeachment resolution against the war secretary. 
Democrats, who secured majorities in both chambers in the November 3 midterm elections and are set to take control of Congress, are also challenging the administration over the war’s financial cost and demanding greater accountability for military spending.
The Pentagon has reported that the cost of the U.S. war against Iran reached $47.1 billion through October 16, an increase of $3.5 billion since early September. 
That figure includes approximately $29 billion to replace expended munitions, $11.9 billion in operational costs, and around $6 billion in damaged or lost military equipment. 
It does not, however, include the cost of repairing damage to U.S. military bases across the region from