The US war on Iran has cost $29 billion so far. It is the latest estimate provided by Jules Hurst, who holds the role of Controller of the Pentagon, reported during the hearing in the US House, including the updated costs for the repair and replacement of equipment, as well as operating expenses.
The figure marks a $4 billion increase over the estimate provided by the Pentagon late last month.
The US Navy: “Trump’s new battleship will be nuclear-powered”
The new battleship named after Donald Trump will be nuclear powered. The US Navy announced it, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. It is a move that is expected to increase the costs and complexity of a multibillion-dollar project that was already raising questions about its actual implementation. The decision was included in the 30-year shipbuilding plan sent to Congress, and the Navy explained that using nuclear energy for propulsion (instead of gas turbines or diesel engines usually used on destroyers, cruisers and frigates) would allow the ship to cover greater distances and reach higher speeds.
Defense experts have already raised questions about the need for a ship of this size, the project of which was announced by Trump last December at Mar-a-Lago. The battleship, which according to what the authorities declared will have a weight of between 30,000 and 40,000 tons, is expected to reach dimensions up to four times larger than those of a modern destroyer.
The Navy has not used nuclear propulsion for its surface warships since the 1990s, as such units were expensive to operate and their reactors required refueling more frequently than reactors currently in use on aircraft carriers and submarines. US Navy leaders have announced that the battleship will be equipped with new generation weapons still in the testing phase, including laser systems and electromagnetic cannons, weapons that use electrical energy to launch projectiles to replace gunpowder. Trump also explained that it will be equipped with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.