WASHINGTON: The Pentagon has revealed that the United States has so far spent approximately $29 billion on its ongoing military operations in Iran, significantly exceeding initial estimates.
The news was shared at a Pentagon briefing to the Congressional Defense Committee by Pentagon’s chief financial officer Jules Hurst III. As Hurst revealed, while the initial estimate released on April 29 was $25 billion, further studies increased the expenditure to $29 billion.
“The joint staff and Pentagon comptroller’s group constantly review military expenditure, and now we are reporting the sum total of our spending in this region,” Hurst said during the meeting.
Factors contributing to growing expenses in the war against Iran included costs associated with repairs and replacements for damaged equipment, continuous deployment of U.S. troops in the region, and rising costs of operations.
The members of Congress have concerns on the cost of the war against Iran to the citizens of America and whether America has enough resources to continue funding the war. The Democrats and the Republicans felt that it was important to keep the American public updated on all the costs related to the war against Iran.
It has been predicted by economic experts that continued tension in the Middle East will put pressure on America’s defense budget. Increased costs of oil around the world and continued military costs will also affect the economy of America.
From the US press reports, it can be noted that the Iran war is composed of naval forces, air strikes, missile defense, deployment of more troops, and covert operations, which increase defense spending.
Trump: Iran has played Games for 47 years, no more chances
Earlier, US President Donald Trump has accused Iran of engaging in decades-long deception and warned that the United States will no longer tolerate its actions.
Speaking on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump alleged that Iran has misled the US and the world for 47 years and recently killed 42,000 innocent protesters.
Trump criticized former President Barack Obama, claiming that his administration was overly accommodating to Tehran, overlooking Israel and other allies, and effectively revitalizing Iran’s power. He asserted that hundreds of billions of dollars including $1.7 billion in cash were delivered to Iran during Obama’s tenure, with funds reportedly transported in suitcases and bags, overwhelming Iranian officials who had never seen such amounts before.
He described Iran as having exploited every opportunity to manipulate global powers. He said, “For 47 years, Iran has deceived us, delayed us, attacked our people with roadside bombs, and suppressed protests. They laughed while committing these atrocities, but that will no longer happen.”
Trump characterized his own administration as stronger and less complacent than previous ones, emphasizing that Iran will face stricter accountability moving forward.
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