Ceasefire Day 23: Pentagon Estimates $25 Billion Iran War Cost, Dem Lawmaker Calls it ‘Low Ball Number’

The Strait of Hormuz remained closed with no sign of a new round of direct talks to resolve the conflict as a ceasefire to the Iran War entered its 23rd day on Thursday morning.

Axios reported, citing anonymous sources, that President Donald Trump will receive a briefing Thursday on new military options against Iran, with the U.S. Central Command chief Brad Cooper set to present plans ranging from a wave of strikes on Iranian infrastructure to seizing parts of the Strait of Hormuz to reopen shipping. Trump told Axios he considers the naval blockade “more effective than the bombing” but has not ruled out escalation if Iran does not concede.

Iran has said that it will not resume direct talks until the U.S. blockade is lifted.

In a statement carried by Iran’s Tasnim News Agency marking the country’s National Persian Gulf Day, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Thursday that Iran will treat its nuclear and missile programs as national assets, insisting that Iranians will safeguard them “just as they defend their land, sea, and air borders.” Khamenei said Iran would establish new legal frameworks to manage the Strait of Hormuz and “eliminate the misuse of this waterway by hostile enemies,” adding that he envisioned a future “without the United States” in the region.

The Pentagon’s comptroller Jay Hurst told members of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) on Wednesday that the total cost of the war so far was $25 billion, adding that “most of that is munitions.” HASC member Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) told CNN on Wednesday that the estimate “ is a low ball number. It’s probably two or three times that — guaranteed.”

Oil prices briefly reached their highest levels since the war began, with the price of Brent Crude recorded at $126 on Thursday morning before falling below $120. Gas prices continued to rise, with AAA reporting the national average price of gas at $4.30.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported that Israeli strikes killed 27 people in Lebanon on Thursday, while the IDF said that Hezbollah drone strikes killed one Israeli soldier and wounded 13.