New Delhi: Iran has struck US military bases and equipment in the Persian Gulf much harder than what was initially reported, as per US officials and people
familiar with the situation.
The officials told NBC News that the extent of the destruction was much bigger compared to what has been shared with the public so far and that fixing the destruction would cost billions of dollars.
Since the beginning of the war on February 28, Iran has carried out attacks on several countries. The major military sites have been on the hit list of Iran, and they attacked the important sites in at least seven countries, including storage warehouses and command centres, key points where operations are managed and systems used for satellite communication.
Iran’s older F-5 fighter jet was able to carry out a strike despite powerful and advanced US air defence systems. It damaged the runways, radar systems, and some jets.
The US Defence Department hasn’t revealed the full details about how much damage the US defence system sustained. Even the US Central Command refused to share the details about the extent of the damage, which handles the military operation in that area.
In between the chaos, Republican lawmakers expressed anger over the lack of transparency. Several said that despite asking for weeks, they still didn’t know anything much yet, especially at a time when the Pentagon is asking for a record-high budget.
“No one knows anything. And it’s not for lack of asking. We have been asking for weeks and not getting specifics, even as the Pentagon is asking for a record high budget,” he said.
Pentagon asks for a $200 billion fund
The Pentagon had asked for over $200 billion from the US Congress to fund the war of Trump’s choice in Iran. The US has reportedly spent over $11 billion on its military operations.
Before the war, Trump announced a 50 per cent increase in the defence budget compared to the previous year, which takes the budget to $1.5 trillion, out of which an $838.5 billion budget was approved by the US Congress.
