US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today announced that the Pentagon will ask Congress for around $200 billion (approximately €175 billion) in additional funding to finance the war against Iran.
At a Pentagon press conference, Hegseth said the request aims to secure resources for ongoing and future operations in the conflict, now entering its third week. “We will go back to Congress and our representatives to ensure we have adequate funding,” he said, adding that it takes “money to kill the bad guys.”
The figure, first reported by The Washington Post, represents a significant increase over the Defense Department’s annual budget of around $900 billion (approximately €780 billion) — itself a record high.
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Hegseth said the objective also includes replenishing ammunition and military equipment stocks, ensuring not merely the replacement of consumed material but expansion above normal levels. “An investment of this magnitude serves precisely this purpose: to replenish all consumed material,” he said.
Hegseth also criticised former Democratic president Joe Biden’s administration for having “depleted” the US arsenal by sending military aid to Ukraine, arguing those resources should have been channelled towards US strategic interests.
According to Pentagon estimates shared with Congress and cited by The New York Times, the United States spent more than $11.3 billion (around €10 billion) in the first six days of the war against Iran.
