US Iran War Live Updates: Hegseth says US war on Iran has cost $37.5bn as strikes enter 11th night

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Southeast Asian foreign ministers on Wednesday that any Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz would create a dangerous precedent with consequences extending far beyond West Asia.

“If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation-state can decide to control an international waterway, charge a toll, and blow up your ships if you don’t pay, we have created a very dangerous precedent that will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including this region,” he told envoys at a Manila gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The cost of the US military campaign against Iran has climbed to $37.5 billion, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers on Tuesday as he urged Congress to approve additional funding to sustain operations through the end of September.

Appearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hegseth said the latest estimate marked a significant increase from the nearly $29 billion projected in mid-May. “The estimate we have as of today is $37.5 billion,” he testified while defending the Pentagon’s request for around $67 billion in supplemental funding.

Hegseth and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress the additional funding was “urgent” and “necessary” to cover the Pentagon’s costs associated with the Iran war through the end of September.

The funding request drew criticism from Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who argued that the Pentagon still had $75 billion in unspent funding available.

“Why are you asking the American people to absorb the cost of a war they don’t support instead of asking for transfer authority for unspent reconciliation funding?”

• US Central Command completed its 11th consecutive night of strikes on military targets in Iran, targeting infrastructure linked to threats against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
• US President Donald Trump met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, pledging support to disarm Hezbollah and help secure lasting peace with Israel.
• Aoun called for the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese territory, according to the Lebanese presidency.
• Trump announced he would authorise the resumption of direct US commercial flights to Lebanon, suspended since the 1985 TWA hijacking.
• US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Iran war has cost the United States $37.5bn, up from nearly $29bn estimated in mid-May.
  Hegseth defended the Pentagon’s request for $67bn in supplemental funding during a congressional hearing.
• Trump said the US was “not finished” with Iran and claimed it would take the country 20 to 25 years to rebuild from the current damage if the conflict ended now.
• Trump warned the Iran-backed Houthi rebels that the US would respond if they carried out their threatened blockade of Saudi ports.
• Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged all sides to exercise restraint during talks with Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, while reaffirming Pakistan’s role as a mediator.
• Kuwait said Iranian attacks struck several power and water desalination plants, causing fires for the fourth consecutive day.
• Bahrain said its military intercepted another wave of Iranian attacks, with authorities activating emergency sirens and urging residents to seek shelter.
• Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they stopped two “non-compliant oil tankers” in the Strait of Hormuz after explosions caused extensive fires aboard the vessels.