WASHINGTON, United States: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that it “takes money to kill bad guys” when asked if the Pentagon had requested $200 billion in funding for the Iran war. Exactly how much the war has cost so far has yet to be publicly disclosed, and the final bill will depend on how long the US-Israeli campaign against Iran launched on February 28 lasts. But it could be substantial: The Pentagon’s comptroller reportedly told lawmakers that the first six days of the war had cost $11.3 billion.

According to the newspaper, this is an enormous new ask that is almost certain to run into resistance from lawmakers opposed to the conflict

Some US administration officials believe that receiving $200 billion for these needs would be unrealistic