Washington DC, July 22 -- US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday (local time) estimated that the cost of the ongoing US conflict with Iran has reached USD 37.5 billion so far, including certain operations and maintenance expenses projected through the end of the current fiscal year.

Hegseth disclosed the figure during a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee while responding to questions from Democratic Senator Dick Durbin.

"The estimate we have as of today is USD 37.5 billion," Hegseth said, adding that the amount included "certain aspects of it" as well as some anticipated military operations and maintenance costs through September 30.

The estimate marks the latest official assessment of the financial impact of the c...