Iran says 'Israel First Tax' to hit US economy; Pentagon's $200b is the 'tip of the iceberg'

Iran on Thursday said that an 'Israel First Tax' is about to hit the United States economy, citing the report of Pentagon seeking $200 billion budget for the conflict which is the 'tip of the iceberg'.

As the Middle East war enter day 20, Iran foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X, "This $200b is the tip of the iceberg. Ordinary Americans can thank Benjamin Netanyahu and his lackeys in Congress for the trillion-dollar "Israel First tax" that's about to hit U.S. economy."

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Sharing a report by the Washington Post, Araghchi said that the nation is only three weeks into this war of choice, imposed on both Iranians and Americans.

An exclusive report by WaPo stated that the Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a more than $200 billion request to Congress to fund the onging war in Iran, as per information shared by a senior administration official. This enormous new ask is almost certain to run into resistance from lawmakers opposed to the conflict.

That number would far surpass the costs of the administration’s massive airstrike campaign to date and instead seek to urgently increase production of critical weaponry expended as U.S. and Israeli forces have struck thousands of targets over the past three weeks, three other people familiar with the matter told the news outlet.

Sources also confirmed that the Defense Department is seeking packages of that size.

Also read: Trump may push Japan for help with Iran war in White House meeting

US to send troops on ground

US President Donald Trump is considering deploying thousands of US troops on ground to reinforce its operation in the Middle East, as the U.S. military prepares ​for possible next steps in its war against Iran, a U.S. ​official and three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

This troop deployment could help provide Trump with additional options on strikes over Iran.

Those options include securing safe passage for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, a mission that would be accomplished primarily through air and naval forces, the sources said. But securing the Strait could also mean deploying U.S. troops to Iran's shoreline, four sources told Reuters, including two U.S. officials.

As per the report, the Trump administration has also discussed options to send ground forces to Iran's Kharg Island, the hub for 90% ‌of Iran's oil exports, which was earlier attacked in airsteikes. One of the officials quoted by Reuters said that such an operation would be very risky as Iran has the ability to reach the island with missiles and drones.

Trump warns of 'finishing off' Iran

President Trump on Thursday warned about the possibility of “finishing off what’s left of the Iranian Terror State”, following his earlier remarks on ending the Middle East war soon.

“I wonder what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State, and let the Countries that use it, we don’t, be responsible for the so called ‘Straight?’ That would get some of our non-responsive ‘Allies’ in gear, and fast!!! President DJT,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump also lashed out at NATO, accusing most member states of refusing to back Washington’s ongoing military operation against Iran despite supporting its broader objective.

“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO ‘Allies’ that they don’t want to get involved… despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing,” he said.

Calling NATO a “one way street,” Trump added, “We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need.”