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The Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a funding request of more than $200 billion to present to Congress to sustain the war in Iran, The Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing a senior administration official.
The request is intended to fund the military campaign launched on Feb. 28 and expand production of weapons used in the conflict, according to three people familiar with the matter cited by the report.
The Defense Department has submitted multiple funding proposals over the past two weeks, though some White House officials expressed skepticism about whether such a request has “a realistic shot of being approved in Congress,” the report said.
The proposed funding would far exceed earlier public estimates of the war’s cost.
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said Sunday that more than $12 billion had been spent in the first two weeks of the campaign.
A separate New York Times report cited a Pentagon briefing that estimated costs at more than $11.3 billion in just the first six days.
Earlier in the campaign, U.S. officials had suggested existing stockpiles were sufficient.
Hassett said the United States had “the weapons already in place” and might not require a supplemental budget request from Congress.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also dismissed reports of munitions shortages, saying the U.S. maintained a “nearly unlimited stockpile” of precision-guided bombs.
The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran have killed around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to Iranian authorities.
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