The United States has spent $25 billion on the war with Iran and is considering continuing. What the media is writing
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- The United States has spent $25 billion on the war with Iran and is considering continuing. What the media is writing
The Pentagon reported that $25 billion was spent during the two months of the war with Iran. US President Donald Trump will soon consider several military options for the continuation of the conflict, among which will be the first use of hypersonic missiles. Amid fears of escalation, oil continued to rise sharply. How the world media reacts to the US attitude towards the war with Iran is in the Izvestia digest.
Reuters: The US war with Iran has already cost $25 billion
The US war in Iran has currently cost the Pentagon $25 billion, according to the first official estimate of the military costs of this conflict. Six months before the midterm elections, in which US President Donald Trump's Republicans may face an uphill struggle to retain a majority in the House of Representatives, Democrats are high in opinion polls trying to link the unpopular war with Iran with housing affordability.
Reuters
Jules Hurst, the acting comptroller [of the Department of Defense], told lawmakers from the House Armed Services Committee that most of the money was intended for ammunition. Hearst did not specify what exactly this cost estimate included and whether it took into account the projected costs of restoring and repairing military infrastructure in the Middle East damaged during the conflict.
It is unclear how the Pentagon arrived at the $25 billion figure, given that a source reported in March that the Trump administration estimated the first six days of the war at at least $11.3 billion. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers that the costs are justified, given the U.S. goal of ensuring that Iran does not possess nuclear weapons.
Axios: Trump will be informed about new military options against Iran
According to two sources, on April 30, Trump is due to receive a briefing on new plans for potential military action in Iran from Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of the US Central Command. This indicates that Trump is seriously considering the possibility of resuming major hostilities, either to try to break the deadlock in negotiations or to deliver a decisive blow before the end of the war.
Axios
According to three sources familiar with the situation, the US Central Command has prepared a plan for a "short and powerful" wave of strikes against Iran, which is likely to include infrastructure facilities, in the hope of breaking the deadlock in negotiations. It is hoped that after that Iran will return to the negotiating table, showing greater flexibility on the nuclear issue.
Another plan, which is expected to be presented to Trump, is aimed at seizing part of the Strait of Hormuz to resume its commercial shipping. According to one source, such an operation may involve the use of ground forces. Another option that was discussed earlier and may be raised at the briefing is a special forces operation to secure Iran's highly enriched uranium reserves.
CNN: Trump expects his blockade to defy history and break Iran
The naval blockade launched by Trump is another attempt to test the as—yet-unproven theory of war with Iran, that US supremacy will inevitably break the Islamic Republic. The strategy is based on a simple premise: stifling the export and import of Iranian oil, necessary for a normal life in the country, will lead to social collapse. This will create unbearable pressure on the regime, forcing it to comply with US demands and abandon its nuclear program forever. It seems logical in Washington. Any country, be it a radical theocracy or a Western democracy, will collapse if it cannot provide access to basic resources.
CNN
"The blockade is an ingenious solution, you know? — said Trump on Wednesday [April 29]. — Their economy is in serious crisis. It's a dead economy." The president is so pleased with the plan that he has prepared his assistants to make it last much longer. One reason is that it is a way to put pressure on Iran without risking losses for the United States during ground operations or the resumption of bombing, which has been relentless but to no avail.
Trump's assertiveness will face two questions that will determine the fate of his strategy, which is often devoid of justification or ultimate goal. The first question is how long Trump, his fellow Republicans, and the American people will be able to tolerate the rising costs of the war, including gasoline prices and likely rising inflation. The second question is whether the plan is based on realistic intelligence about the situation in Iran and reasonable considerations about how its leaders might react. After all, there is a long-standing and questionable tendency in Washington to apply American logic to Middle Eastern societies that do not react the way U.S. presidents expect.
Bloomberg: The United States wants to use a hypersonic missile against Iran for the first time
The US Central Command has asked the army to send the long-delayed development of the Dark Eagle hypersonic missile to the Middle East for possible use against Iran, seeking a longer-range system to defeat ballistic missile launchers in the interior of the country. If approved, this would be the first time the United States has deployed its hypersonic missile, which is significantly behind schedule and has not yet been declared fully operational, despite the fact that Russia and China have already deployed their own versions.
Bloomberg
In the request for the provision of forces, this step is justified by the fact that Iran has moved its launchers beyond the range of high-precision missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of more than [482 km], a source directly familiar with the contents of the request said. The person, who asked not to be named, was discussing a request that has not yet been made public. According to him, the decision on the request has not yet been made. The US Central Command declined to comment.
The truce between the United States and Iran has been in effect since April 9, but the cease-fire request indicates that the United States is preparing for new strikes if Trump decides to implement it. According to Becky Wasser, head of defense research at Bloomberg Economics, both sides used this time for rearmament and planning, noting that "future rounds of hostilities may be more deadly." If the decision is approved, it will also serve as a signal to Russia and China that the United States is able to match the capabilities they have long mastered.
Associated Press: oil jumped to $123 amid fears of war with Iran
The price of Brent crude oil jumped to about $123 per barrel on the morning of April 30, as stalled U.S.-Iranian negotiations raised doubts about the possibility of reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war with Iran definitively. Futures for June delivery jumped 4.1% after briefly exceeding the $125 mark, while the price of oil for July delivery rose 2.5% to $113.17. The price of WTI crude oil rose 2% to $109.05 per barrel.
Associated Press
Oil prices vary depending on the type of crude oil, the place of trading, and the terms of futures contracts. According to some indicators, the price of Brent crude oil has reached its highest level since its peak of $147.50 per barrel in 2008 during the global financial crisis.
There is still no clear path to ending the war. The United States continues to blockade Iranian ports, and the Strait of Hormuz is closed, leading to higher oil prices. Reports of a possible escalation by Trump have dispelled hopes for an early end to the conflict. The failure of negotiations between the United States and Iran, as well as reports that Trump apparently rejected Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, are causing the market to lose hope for an early resumption of oil supplies.
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