Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies about the Iran war before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. Hegseth described the military operation as a major success and criticized 'defeatist' Democrats who pushed back against his assessment of the war. Rod Lamkey Jr./AP hide caption

toggle caption

Rod Lamkey Jr./AP

The war in Iran has cost an estimated $25 billion so far, according to a Pentagon estimate. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth offered no indication of when the conflict might end during combative testimony before a congressional committee Wednesday.

In a testy exchange before the House Armed Services Committee, Hegseth was grilled by Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington.…