The United States Department of Defense has reportedly requested more than $200 billion to finance the ongoing military operations against Iran, drawing reactions from regional media anticipating a prolonged conflict.
The United States Pentagon has requested a budget exceeding $200 billion to finance the ongoing war with Iran, according to a senior US administration official cited by the Washington Post. The funding request follows the rapid escalation of hostilities that began on March 16, when US and Israeli forces launched a massive wave of airstrikes against Iranian military and infrastructure targets.
Farsi-language media widely reported the funding request, uniformly substituting the US Department of Defense with the term Ministry of War. The Saudi-owned network العربیه فارسی, which maintains a critical stance against the Iranian regime, reported that the Ministry of War requested the funds specifically to finance military operations against Iran. Identical terminology was utilized by the Iranian reformist-aligned channel حامیان پزشکیان, which noted the $200 billion is intended to continue the war with Iran.
The substantial funding request is perceived by regional channels as an indicator of a protracted conflict. The conflict-tracking channel اخبارفوری خبرفوری جنگ امریکا فوری reported that the Pentagon asked the White House to push the funding request through Congress. The channel noted that the request signals preparation for a long-term war, but added that US Democrats and Congress might block the approval, ultimately forcing President Trump to extract the war costs from Arab nations.
All source channels, including the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya Farsi, refer to the US Department of Defense as 'وزارت جنگ' (Ministry of War). This term was translated directly without quotes as per the anti-sanitization and formatting instructions to preserve the framing of Farsi-language media.