The United States Pentagon is seeking about $200 billion in additional funding for the ongoing Iran war—nearly double the amount spent in funding for Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022, according to the special inspector-general report.
The move was reported last night by the Washington Post,
which noted that the Pentagon had asked the White House to approve the $200
billion request to Congress.
US President Donald Trump confirmed the request on Thursday
at a White House event.
When asked why so much money was needed given that he has
said the conflict would end soon, Trump said it was a “very volatile war”.
“We are being very judicious,” he said.
“We want to have vast amounts of ammunition, but it was
taken down by giving so much to Ukraine.”
According to the special inspector-general report, Congress
has approved $188 billion in funding for Ukraine since the war began, and about
$110 billion had been spent as of last December.
“We want to be in the best shape, the best shape we’ve ever
been in. It’s a small price to pay to make sure that we stay tippy-top,” Trump
added.
Pete Hegseth, US defence secretary, did not directly confirm
the number when asked but said “it takes money to kill bad guys”.
Hegseth said the department needed more money for “what we
may have to do in the future”.
“This kind of funding bill is going to ensure that we’re
properly funded going forward,” he said.
On Sunday, Kevin Hassett, Trump’s economic adviser, said the
war in Iran had already cost the US $12 billion.
The timeframe for the war has been unclear. When the US and
Israel struck Iran on February 28, Trump predicted the war could last four to
five weeks but noted it could take longer.
Last week, the US president said the war could end soon.
However, a spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
said, “Iran will determine when the war ends.”
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com