The estimate, presented to members of Congress on Tuesday, represents only a partial accounting of the costs incurred since the military campaign began on Feb. 28 with coordinated U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets.

The White House has not publicly released an overall assessment of the war’s cost or provided a timeline for how long the conflict might continue.

Several congressional aides said the administration is expected to submit a request to lawmakers for additional war funding in the coming weeks. Estimates discussed among officials suggest the request could reach about $50 billion, though some aides cautioned that figure may underestimate the eventual cost.

Members of Congress will likely be required to approve any additional funding package as the Pentagon seeks resources to sustain operations and replenish weapons stocks used during the campaign.

Administration officials told lawmakers that roughly $5.6 billion worth of munitions were expended during the first two days of strikes alone, underscoring the intensity of the opening phase of the campaign.

Some lawmakers have voiced concern that the pace of weapons use could strain U.S. military inventories at a time when defense manufacturers are already working to expand production capacity to meet global demand.

Last week, Trump met with executives from seven defense contractors as the Pentagon explored ways to accelerate replenishment of critical weapons systems and other military supplies.

Democratic lawmakers have called for public testimony under oath from administration officials to clarify the strategy and objectives of the war, including its expected duration and Washington’s plans for Iran once active combat operations end.

Speaking during a visit to Kentucky on Wednesday, Trump said “we won” the war but indicated that U.S. forces would remain engaged until operations were completed.

The conflict has expanded beyond Iran’s borders into Lebanon and has disrupted global energy markets and maritime transport routes. Around 2,000 people have been killed so far, most of them in Iran and Lebanon, according to figures cited in the briefing.

European countries more than tripled their arms imports in the 2021–2025 period compared with 2016–2020, according to the report from the Sweden-based research institute. The increase reflects efforts to supply Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s invasion and to rebuild European militaries after decades of relatively low defence spending.

“The sharp increase in arms flows to European states pushed global arms transfers up almost 10%,” said Mathew George, director of the institute’s Arms Transfers Programme.

Europe accounted for 33% of global arms imports during the period, a sharp rise from 12% in the previous five-year timeframe, the report showed.

The surge in European procurement followed Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which prompted governments across the continent to replenish stockpiles and modernise armed forces.

Military assistance to Kyiv and the need to restore national inventories after decades of reduced defence spending have driven demand for advanced systems, including aircraft and air-defence capabilities.

Despite expanding domestic production, European governments continued to purchase significant volumes of equipment from the United States, particularly combat aircraft and long-range air-defence systems, according to the data.

The figures highlight the continuing reliance of many European countries on American defence technology even as European governments seek to strengthen their own defence industries.

Arms imports by Middle Eastern states declined by 13% during the same five-year period, although the region remains a major buyer of military equipment.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar ranked among the four largest individual arms importers globally.Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at the institute, said the decline mainly reflected large Saudi procurement orders placed in the previous reporting period that are still being integrated into the country’s military inventory.

He added that many governments in the region had already placed new orders before the latest escalation involving the United States, Israel and Iran, meaning the impact of those purchases is not yet fully reflected in the figures.

Wezeman said the current regional conflict is likely to boost demand further, particularly for anti-missile and air-defence systems.

“They will first replace what they have used, but also that they are going to look at buying more equipment to protect themselves even better than they can do now,” he said.

On the supply side, the United States increased its share of the global arms export market to 42%, up from 36% in the previous period, reinforcing its position as the world’s leading weapons exporter.

France ranked as the second-largest supplier with 9.8% of global arms exports.

Russia saw its share fall sharply to 6.8% from 21% following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to the report.Combined European arms exports accounted for 28% of the global market, a figure roughly four times larger than Russia’s share and five times greater than that of China, underscoring Europe’s growing role in the international defence trade.

ReutersThe dispute highlights deepening political divisions in Taiwan over military spending and defence preparedness at a time of rising security pressure from China and growing calls from the United States for the island to strengthen its defences.Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said the opposition-backed plan would impose restrictions that would effectively halt several planned weapons programmes. The government’s proposal includes systems such as precision artillery and anti-armour unmanned platforms designed to strengthen Taiwan’s asymmetric defence strategy. Reuters“If everything is required to be delivered and fully implemented before that deadline, it would in effect shut down these projects, making their execution impossible,” Koo said.Budget dispute in parliamentThe main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), which holds parliamentary influence alongside smaller parties, has advanced a counterproposal that caps spending at about T$380 billion ($11.96 billion) roughly one-third of the funding sought by the government.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te had proposed a significantly larger defence package aimed at strengthening the island’s deterrence against Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory and has increased military pressure in recent years. Opposition lawmakers say their proposal reflects the need for stricter legislative scrutiny of defence spending. The KMT has argued that procurement through commercial channels could be vulnerable to irregularities and has called for weapons purchases to focus primarily on government-to-government agreements with Washington.Koo rejected that approach, warning that excluding certain acquisition channels would create gaps in Taiwan’s defence capabilities and undermine efforts to strengthen joint operational readiness.He added that the government’s proposal has the backing of both the U.S. administration and members of Congress.U.S. pressure and security concernsWashington, Taiwan’s most important security partner and arms supplier, has repeatedly urged Taipei to accelerate defence reforms and increase spending to counter mounting military pressure from Beijing.

Taiwan NewsThe political standoff in the legislature has raised concerns among U.S. policymakers that delays could slow Taiwan’s acquisition of key defence systems intended to improve its ability to repel a potential attack.China regularly conducts military exercises around Taiwan and has refused formal dialogue with Lai, whom Beijing labels a separatist. Lai has rejected the claim and says only Taiwan’s people can decide the island’s future. Cross-strait diplomacy adds political tensionThe budget dispute has also unfolded alongside sensitive cross-strait political developments.Senior figures in the KMT have said the party remains in contact with the Chinese Communist Party and are working toward a potential visit to China later this year. KMT leaders have expressed hope that such a trip could include a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The prospect of political engagement with Beijing has drawn scrutiny from some Taiwanese officials and analysts, who say defence policy and cross-strait relations are becoming increasingly intertwined in domestic politics.For now, negotiations over the defence spending package remain unresolved in parliament, leaving the scale and timeline of Taiwan’s planned military procurement uncertain.