The Iran war is going badly for the US, with mounting American deaths, soaring costs, and a defense secretary caught lying to Congress about it.

• The US has lost 18 service members and had hundreds injured in a war being fought largely on Israel's behalf, and the Pentagon may be hiding the real casualty count.
• Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route, which has pushed gas prices higher and hurt the global economy.
• Pete Hegseth told Congress the war cost about $37.5 billion, but the Pentagon's own internal estimate runs $80–100 billion once destroyed bases and used-up weapons are counted.
• The Pentagon is running low on cash and cancelling training to plug the gap, yet is asking for tens of billions more — and the House wants to hand over even more than it requested.
• The war is now unpopular even with Trump's base, and most Trump voters blame it for higher gas prices, setting up trouble for Republicans in the midterms.

Outlook: Costs and casualties look set to keep climbing with no clear path to victory, and the fallout is likely to hit Republicans hard at the polls.