Pentagon asks White House to approve request for over $200B in war funding: Report

ISTANBUL

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 aims to fund the military campaign that began on Feb. 28 and ramp up the production of weapons used during the conflict, three people familiar with the matter told the Post.

The Defense Department has proposed different funding packages over the past two weeks, the outlet reported, though some White House officials were skeptical that the request had "a realistic shot of being approved in Congress."

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Anadolu's request for comment.

The figure dwarfs 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, while a New York Times report cited a Pentagon briefing that put the cost at more than $11.3 billion in just the first six days.

Earlier in the campaign, the administration projected confidence about existing stockpiles. Hassett said the US had "the weapons already in place" and might not need a congressional supplemental budget at all. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had also dismissed reports of munitions shortages, claiming the US had a "nearly unlimited stockpile" of precision bombs.

The US-Israeli strikes on Iran have reportedly killed around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.