Washington mulls lower military budget for war with Iran

The Trump administration is reportedly planning to significantly reduce its request for additional funding related to the Iran conflict, ahead of what is expected to be a contentious debate in Congress, according to US officials and sources familiar with the discussions, as cited by The Washington Post.

The total amount, which had not been finalised as of April 7, is expected to range between $80 billion and $100 billion, two US officials said, speaking anonymously to discuss ongoing negotiations. 

This figure would be less than half of the more than $200 billion initially proposed by the Pentagon to the White House last month.

It remains unclear when the administration intends to submit the funding proposal to Congress, where lawmakers will ultimately determine whether, and how much, additional support to approve. Requests for comment from both the Pentagon and the White House Office of Management and Budget went unanswered.

Officials noted that the lower figure reflects the administration’s record-setting annual defence budget request, released last week, which seeks $1.5 trillion in total defence spending for the next fiscal year. 

Part of that request—$350 billion—is planned to be included in a separate, one-time bill designed to move through Congress along party lines. This supplemental funding would be used to bolster the United States’ defence-industrial base and produce critical munitions for the military.

According to one official familiar with the administration’s plans, the original supplemental funding proposal for the Iran war, which exceeded $200 billion, was drafted before the full scope of the annual budget request was known.

That earlier plan included tens of billions of dollars intended for the US defence industry—investments that are now incorporated into the broader budget request.

By Jeyhun Aghazada