Trump Says U.S. Iran Campaign Is Far From Over as Hegseth Puts Cost at USD 37.5 Billion

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing Reuters and AFP, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. campaign against Iran is “far from over” and that U.S. forces could soon strike the underground nuclear site at Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La near Natanz. Trump, meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House, said Iran would need 20 to 25 years to rebuild if the war ended now and added that the U.S. was “far from finished” and would not withdraw at this stage. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei denied on Wednesday that there was any nuclear activity at the site, calling it a pretext for U.S. aggression. Trump also played down the prospect of renewed U.S.-Iran talks, saying Washington was not interested until Tehran was ready for meaningful negotiations.U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday that the war had cost USD 37.5 billion, up about USD 8 billion from previous estimates, and said the latest figure covered spending already incurred as well as expected outlays through the end of the fiscal year on September 30. He urged Congress to approve a USD 67 billion supplemental defense spending bill to avoid a serious funding shortfall. The U.S. Central Command said it had completed the 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iran, targeting military operations centers, maritime operations facilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage sites and military logistics infrastructure. The Pentagon also said a U.S. soldier missing after Iran’s attack on Jordan last Friday was believed dead, bringing U.S. military deaths since the war began to 18. Iran's military said any U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would be viewed as an escalation and that all U.S. interests, along with those of U.S. allies and supporters, would become targets for a strong response.