U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has stated that Washington does not intend to pursue the war with Iran in the same manner as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. According to him, the U.S. objective in the conflict is not to rebuild or reshape Iranian society, but rather to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Hegseth said that the war with Iran has so far cost the United States more than $37 billion, and that the administration has submitted a request to Congress for an additional $70 billion in funding to continue military operations and meet the armed forces’ requirements.
The Secretary of War made these remarks in response to concerns that the conflict with Iran could develop into a prolonged war similar to those in Afghanistan and Iraq. He emphasized that Washington’s current approach differs from its previous strategies.
Hegseth stated: “Our generation witnessed in Afghanistan and Iraq how both parties attempted to rebuild those countries according to the American model an effort that came at a tremendous cost, including the loss of thousands of lives.”
He added that thousands of U.S. service members and many civilians lost their lives during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, with the total number of casualties from those conflicts reaching into the tens of thousands.
Hegseth further said: “Donald Trump has repeatedly made clear that the United States will no longer enter into long, costly wars, and this administration is acting accordingly.”
The Secretary of War reiterated that Washington does not seek to alter Iran’s political or social structure and said that the United States is pursuing what he described as a “realistic” approach based on an “America First” policy, aimed solely at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb.
He described the requested $70 billion in additional funding as an urgent requirement for the Pentagon, warning that without these resources, the U.S. military would face shortages in equipment, capabilities, and essential resources needed to sustain ongoing operations.
According to Hegseth, this funding request, along with Donald Trump’s proposed plan to allocate $1.5 trillion to the defense budget, forms part of the administration’s long-term strategy to strengthen U.S. military capabilities.
Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Patty Murray, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, criticized the rising costs of the war, saying that the conflict with Iran is “once again spiraling out of control.”
She also questioned why the administration was requesting an additional $70 billion to continue military operations despite Donald Trump’s previous statements that an agreement was close and that the war could soon come to an end.
A significant portion of the Republicans’ proposed budget package is dedicated to war-related expenses and is expected to be considered through a process known as “budget reconciliation” in Congress. This mechanism allows the majority party to pass certain financial measures with a simple majority vote.
Republicans have previously used this process to pass Donald Trump’s tax-cut legislation as well as several budgetary and security-related measures. However, the proposal must still pass the House of Representatives and receive approval from the Senate.
Given the Republicans’ narrow majority in the House, opposition from some members of the party could create obstacles to the budget’s approval. Some conservative lawmakers have also called for new war-related spending to be offset by cuts to other areas of government spending.
At the same time, Democrats are seeking to use Congress’s constitutional authority over matters of war to play a larger role in decisions regarding the continuation of the conflict. Under the announced plan, the U.S. Senate is expected to revisit a war powers resolution, an issue that has previously been raised around 12 times with the aim of limiting or ending military involvement.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
