The Pentagon has reportedly requested $200billion for the war in Iran as President Trump considers deploying thousands of troops to the region.
The funding request comes after a study concluded that the US has spent around $3.7 billion, or $891.4 million a day, on wartime efforts in the first 100 hours of Operation Epic Fury, rising to $11 billion in the first week alone.
Multiple sources told The Washington Post that the Pentagon has asked the White House to ask for the funding from Congress.
It was unclear if the White House would honor that request, as Democrats remain largely against the war efforts and Kentucky libertarian Rand Paul typically votes against military funding, meaning the 60 votes to avoid a filibuster may not be there.
The Trump administration is considering sending thousands of troops to reinforce its operation in the Middle East, a US official and three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The deployments could help provide Trump with additional options as he weighs expanding US operations, with the Iran war well into its third week.
Those options include securing safe passage for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, a mission that would be accomplished primarily through air and naval forces, the sources said.
But securing the Strait could also mean deploying US troops to Iran’s shoreline, said four sources, including two US officials.
The Trump administration has also discussed options to send ground forces to Iran’s Kharg Island, the hub for 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports, three people familiar with the matter and three US officials said.
One of the officials said such an operation would be very risky. Iran has the ability to reach the island with missiles and drones.