Report: U.S. Officials Question Trump’s Iran Strikes as Costs Reach $37.5 Billion
Key Takeaways
- •A senior U.S. official cited by The New York Times said strikes on Iran are having the opposite of their intended effect by reinforcing Iranian unity.
- •Trump and senior advisers discussed further escalation in a Friday meeting, but few in his inner circle reportedly backed a broader bombing campaign.
- •Officials questioned whether renewed major combat operations would bring Iran back to negotiations.
- •Gen. Dan Caine privately warned that resuming major combat was possible but would dangerously reduce interceptor supplies for U.S. Central Command.
- •Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress that the war against Iran has cost U.S. taxpayers $37.5 billion so far.
President Donald Trump’s escalating military campaign against Iran is producing the “opposite” of its intended effect, according to a senior U.S. official cited in a New York Times report published Saturday.
“The official said the strikes have the opposite effect of what is intended, keeping Iran cohesive and allowing Iranian leaders to focus attention on an external threat,” the Times reported.
The assessment followed leaked details of a Friday meeting between Trump, senior advisers and Cabinet members, where officials discussed whether to further escalate the war. According to the Times, few, if any, members of Trump’s inner circle viewed an intensified bombing campaign as a wise course of action.
A separate senior official briefed on the discussion also questioned whether a return to major combat operations would push Iran back to the negotiating table.
The “private deliberations” centered in part on what officials described as the Pentagon’s “shrinking inventory of Patriot interceptors and other air defenses,” the Times reported. That concern made the debate not only a question of diplomatic leverage, but also one of military capacity and risk management for U.S. forces operating under Central Command.
“Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has cautioned privately that resuming major combat operations against Iran was doable but that it would dangerously deplete interceptors available to the military’s Central Command, which is responsible for operations in the Middle East, the officials said,” the Times’ report said.
Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a congressional committee that Trump’s war against Iran had cost U.S. taxpayers $37.5 billion so far. The disclosure put the administration’s strategy before lawmakers at a time when officials were also weighing whether additional strikes would advance U.S. objectives or further strain military resources. Rawstory described the conflict as deeply unpopular, citing broader reporting on public opposition to the war.
The internal doubts add to indications that the administration’s Iran strategy has not delivered the outcomes Trump has publicly promised, while the financial and human costs of the conflict continue to rise.