LIVE UPDATES: Conflict in the Middle East (May 12, 2026)

WASHINGTON - The United States' war in Iran has ?cost $29 billion so far, a senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday, an increase of $4 billion from an estimate provided late last month.

With just six months before midterm elections in which President Donald Trump's Republicans may face an uphill battle to keep their House majority, Democrats are riding high in public opinion polls as they attempt to link the war with cost of living issues.

On April 29, the Pentagon said the war at that point had cost $25 billion.

Jules Hurst, who is performing the duties of the ?comptroller, told lawmakers on Tuesday that the new cost included updated repair and replacement of equipment and operational costs.

"The joint staff team and the comptroller team are constantly looking at that estimate," Hurst said. He was speaking alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine.

It is unclear how the Pentagon arrived at the $29 billion figure. A source told Reuters in March that Trump's administration estimated the first six days of the war had cost at ?least $11.3 billion. — Reuters

Malacañang on Tuesday said it has reduced the conduct of the United Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) committee meetings from weekly to every two weeks, amid the impact of the tension in the Middle East.

UPLIFT is a whole-of-government framework established through Executive Order 110 in March that sought to address the economic impacts of the Middle East crisis and rising fuel prices.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro explained that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. sees his Cabinet continuously working even without holding weekly UPLIFT meetings.

“Nakikita po kasi ng Pangulo na kahit hindi mag-meeting every week ngayon ay nakikita po na tuluy-tuloy pa rin po ang pagtatrabaho ng ating mga Cabinet secretaries at ang ibang ahensiya patungkol po dito para maibsan ang epekto ng krisis sa Middle East,” Castro said in a Palace briefing.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that a ceasefire with Iran was "on life support" after Tehran's response to a US proposal to end the war made clear the two sides were still far apart on a number of issues.

Iran has called for an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, where US ally Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. Tehran also demanded compensation for war damage, an end to the US naval blockade, a guarantee of no further attacks, and resumption of Iranian oil sales.

Tehran also emphasized its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, where it has shut down shipping traffic that normally carries one-fifth of the world's oil and gas supply.

Trump said Iran's response threatened the status of a ceasefire that has been in place since April 7.