US-Israel Iran War Costs $37.5 Billion

The US-Israel war on Iran has incurred a cost of $37.5 billion to date, as stated by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Senate. Hegseth defended the Trump administration's supplemental funding request of approximately $88 billion, characterizing it as "urgent, necessary." This figure was presented amidst lawmaker anger over the conflict's escalating expenses and the recent deaths of three American service members.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recounted his survival from an airstrike that killed Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, on the war's first day. Araghchi described being pulled from rubble and subsequently evading detection by continuously relocating within Tehran by car. Reports from ordinary Iranians depict a dire situation, with "truly hell here" being the new normal due to airstrikes, repression, and water shortages.

In related regional developments, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani acknowledged his lack of authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but urged US federal authorities to do so should Netanyahu visit the United States. The White House also announced that American airline carriers will be permitted to resume flights to Lebanon.