Why did the Pentagon request huge sums for the war with Iran? What the media is writing
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- Why did the Pentagon request huge sums for the war with Iran? What the media is writing
The US Department of Defense has requested $200 billion to continue the war with Iran. This amount is 16 times higher than the funds already spent in three weeks. Funding may be needed to send ground troops. Against this background, the US national debt has reached a new record high. What the world media write about the prospects of the conflict is in the Izvestia digest.
The Washington Post: The Pentagon requests more than $200 billion in the budget for the war with Iran
The Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a congressional request to allocate more than $200 billion to finance the war in Iran. This huge request is almost certain to meet resistance from anti-conflict lawmakers. This amount will significantly exceed the cost of air strikes and will be used to urgently increase the production of critical weapons consumed over the past three weeks.
The Washington Post
It remains unclear how much the White House will eventually request from congressional lawmakers. According to a senior administration official, some White House officials believe that the Pentagon's request has no realistic chance of congressional approval. According to this official and three other sources familiar with the situation, over the past two weeks, the Pentagon has put forward several different options for requesting funding.
The funding request is likely to cause a serious political struggle in Congress, as public support for the initiative is weak and Democrats sharply criticize it. Republicans expressed support for the upcoming additional request, but did not decide on a legislative strategy and did not find a clear way to overcome the threshold of 60 votes in the Senate. US President Donald Trump campaigned on the slogan of ending American adventurism abroad and often criticized the Joe Biden administration for financing Ukraine.
Associated Press: US debt exceeds $39 trillion amid war with Iran
The US national debt has exceeded a record $39 trillion, reaching this mark just a few weeks after the start of the US-Israeli war in Iran. This unprecedented figure underscores the contradictory priorities of the administration: from passing a massive tax law and increasing defense spending and tightening immigration laws to gradually reducing the national debt itself — the latter Trump promised to do both as a candidate and as president.
Associated Press
The Government Accountability Office describes some of the effects of rising government debt on Americans, including higher interest rates on mortgages and auto loans, lower wages due to reduced financial resources for businesses to invest, and higher prices for goods and services. Proponents of a balanced budget also warn that the long-term trend towards increased borrowing and higher interest payments will force Americans to face more difficult budget compromises in the future.
The federal debt has skyrocketed under both Republican and Democratic presidents, helped recently by wars, massive spending in connection with the pandemic, and tax cuts. The US national debt reached $38 trillion five months ago, and $37 trillion two months before that. White House economic Adviser Kevin Hassett estimates that the war in Iran has already cost the United States more than $12 billion.
Reuters: The United States is considering the possibility of deploying military reinforcements
The Trump administration is considering deploying thousands of American troops to strengthen its operation in the Middle East. The deployment of troops could provide Trump with additional options when considering expanding U.S. operations, given that the war with Iran is now in its third week.
Reuters
These options include ensuring the safe passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, which, according to sources, will be carried out mainly with the help of air and naval forces. However, securing the strait could also mean deploying American troops to the Iranian coast, four sources, including two American officials, said.
The Trump administration also discussed options for sending ground troops to the Iranian island of Kharg, which is the center of 90% of Iran's oil exports. However, this is very risky: Iran has the ability to hit targets on the island with missiles and drones. On March 13, the United States attacked military targets on the island, and Trump threatened to strike its crucial oil infrastructure as well. However, given its vital role in the Iranian economy, control of the island is likely to be seen as a better option than destroying it, military experts say.
Financial Times: Iran sets a price for ending the war
Trump has stated that the US war with Iran will end when he wants it to. But now it will depend not only on the President of the United States. Over the past week, as the conflict escalated and hurt the global economy, Iranian leaders and military commanders made it clear that the Islamic Republic was not going to capitulate quickly and intended to lay down its arms on its own terms.
Financial Times
Iran views this conflict as an existential threat, is desperately trying to restore its deterrence capabilities and wants to make sure that its opponents will not want to pay for future attacks, a source close to the regime, diplomats and experts said. According to them, all this suggests that Iran is preparing for a protracted war of attrition and will stop it only if it receives guarantees that the United States and Israel will not resume attacks as part of any ceasefire agreement.
If Trump declares "victory" and stops bombing Iran, there is a danger that Tehran, even when weakened, will continue to attack Israel and the Persian Gulf countries and hold tankers hostage in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the statements that the republic wants a truce or negotiations "nonsense." He also denied information that he had resumed the communication channel with US Representative Steve Witkoff.
Euronews: Trump threatened to "completely destroy" Iran's largest gas field
Trump has vowed to "blow up all" of Iran's South Pars gas field if Tehran tries to attack Qatar's gas fields again. Iran has expanded its strikes on major energy facilities in the Middle East, prompting sharp warnings from the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, which called it a dangerous escalation that threatens to draw them into direct hostilities with Tehran.
Euronews
On Wednesday, in response to the attack on the South Pars gas field, Tehran retaliated against neighboring Qatar's largest gas field, Ras Laffan, causing, according to Doha, "significant damage" and sparking a diplomatic conflict between the two countries. After the attack, Qatar declared the military and security personnel of the Iranian embassy persona non grata, and in the first reports of the incident stated that the damage was still being assessed.
Trump demanded that Iran stop attacks on regional energy facilities, otherwise he faces the wrath of the US military, which, according to him, will cause damage with "long-term consequences." According to him, the United States, with or without the help of Israel, will destroy the entire South Pars gas field with such power and force, "which Iran has never seen or observed before."
All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.
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