Hegseth grilled over Iran war in Senate

Around 22 July 2026, the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, faced questions in the Senate over the Iran war and estimated its cost at $37.5 billion. He defended a request for more funding, and the Jerusalem Post reported he seeks a $1.5 trillion defense budget. The Washington Post described bipartisan scrutiny at the hearing, and Al Jazeera asked why the Pentagon wants $67 billion more.

US strikes on Iran continued for an 11th straight night. The US identified a third and a fourth soldier believed killed in an Iran attack. Iran's IRGC claimed attacks on air bases in Jordan and radar systems in Kuwait, and Iran said strikes damaged 228 military assets across 15 US regional bases. Trump threatened to strike the Pickaxe Mountain tunnel complex in central Iran 'pretty soon'.