Washington DC - The opening week of the war against Iran cost the US more than $11.3 billion, lawmakers were told in a Pentagon briefing, according to a New York Times report underscoring the pace at which the conflict is consuming weapons and resources.

The Times, citing unnamed sources familiar with Tuesday's closed-door briefing, said members of Congress were told that the figure excludes many costs connected with the buildup to the strikes – suggesting the final tally for the first week could rise substantially.

Defense officials had previously told Congress that roughly $5.6 billion worth of munitions were expended in just the first two days of fighting, according to US media – a burn rate far higher than earlier public estimates.

President Donald Trump launched the war with joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28.

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Since then, his administration has been unclear about how long they anticipate the war to last.

Trump said Monday that the war was "very complete," but insisted on Wednesday that the US must "finish the job" in Iran.

"We don't want to leave early, do we? We've got to finish the job, right?" he said during a speech in Hebron, Kentucky.