Pentagon seeks $200B in more funds for the Iran war
The Pentagon is seeking USD 200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, a senior administration official says.
The department sent the request to the White House, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private information.
It’s an extraordinarily high number and comes on top of extra funding the Defence Department already received last year in President Donald Trump’s big tax cuts bill.
Congress is bracing for a new spending request but it is not clear the White House has transmitted the request for consideration. It is unclear the spending request would have support.
The new funding request was first reported by The Washington Post. Asked about the figure at a press conference on Thursday, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth did not directly confirm the figure, saying it could change. But he said, “We’re going back to Congress and our folks there to ensure that we’re properly funded”.
“It takes money to kill bad guys,” Hegseth said.
Iran’s 11 submarines ‘are gone’: Hegseth
Saying that Iran’s “surface fleet is no longer a factor,” US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that “their submarines - they once had 11 - are gone.” The crafts Hegseth referenced are “midget” submarines designed to work in shallow waters in the Persian Gulf and its narrow mouth, the Strait of Hormuz.
The small vessels are designed to evade sonar as they lay mines and fire torpedoes. Earlier, Hegseth opened the Pentagon briefing with remarks about a dignified transfer. Hegseth said he told families of service members killed in the Iran war that US forces “will finish this.”
Hegseth said they told him, “Through tears, through hugs, through strength and through unbreakable resolve,” that they wanted the US military to “finish this.
Honour their sacrifice. Do not waver. Do not stop until the job is done.” “My response, along with that of the president, was simple: Of course, we will finish this. We will honour their sacrifice,” Hegseth said. “Their sacrifice only steels our commitment.”
Health of new Iranian leader ‘unclear’: Gabbard
The health of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remains uncertain, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told Congress.
Testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, Gabbard said his exact condition, as well as the leadership structure in Iran, is not fully known to US intelligence.
“It is unclear his status or his involvement. He was injured very severely in one of the Israeli strikes,” Gabbard said.
