U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that the cost of the Iran war was “not something that we have to worry about,” as the Pentagon said the first week of war cost the United States $11.3 billion.
“That 11 billion is a lot of money, but we have cushions built in, and it’s not something that we have to worry about over this horizon,” Bessent said during an exclusive interview with British broadcaster Sky News.
As American and Israeli strikes pound the Islamic Republic and Iran attacks Persian Gulf shipping and energy infrastructure with no sign of an end to the war, oil prices have soared back above $100 a barrel.
Bessent also commented on the relationship between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump, after Starmer responded cautiously to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran — not joining in the airstrikes, which he hinted broke international law, and initially refusing to let American warplanes use British bases.
After Iran struck back by firing missiles and drones at neighboring countries, Starmer said U.S. planes could use U.K. bases to strike Iran’s missile program, but not other targets.
“I think any delay causes an increase in risk,” said Bassent.
“President Trump is the commander-in-chief of the U.S. Forces. And again, being in the situation room with him, that he so solemnly takes that leadership role in terms of his commitment to maintaining the lives of our service people that anything that upsets that, upsets him. And I think that’s what got the very strong reaction.”
Starmer’s reticence angered Trump, who complained last week that Starmer was “not Winston Churchill.” But polls suggest his reaction to the war aligns broadly with public sentiment, which is wary of deeper involvement in the conflict.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement on the war on Thursday, saying Iran should close the Strait of Hormuz and keep attacking its Gulf Arab neighbors as leverage.
Khamenei also called on people in Gulf countries to “shut down” U.S. bases, saying promised U.S. protection is “nothing more than a lie.”
