US-Israel Attacks Iran, Arab Countries Now Asked to Pay War Costs
The escalation of the conflict in the Middle East has entered a new phase after the United States and Israel first launched attacks on Iran, but now a controversial proposal has emerged: Arab countries are being asked to help bear the costs of those military operations.
The idea surfaced from circles within the White House. US President Donald Trump’s Press Secretary, Carolyn Levitt, acknowledged that the notion of asking Arab partners to fund military operations is not new within the administration. “It is clearly an idea he has,” she said during a press conference, signalling that the policy could soon be implemented, as reported by RIA Novosti.
Amid these statements, facts on the ground show that the attacks were actually initiated by Washington and Tel Aviv. On 28 February, the United States and Israel launched strikes on several targets in Iran, which reportedly caused infrastructure damage and civilian casualties, including an attack on a girls’ school in the southern part of the country.
Iran then responded by attacking Israeli territory and US military bases in the Middle East region.
The ballooning war costs form the backdrop to this burden-sharing proposal. According to the Iran War Cost Tracker, in the first 29 days alone, the military operation costs have exceeded $35 billion. Several reports even estimate that the total costs could reach trillions of dollars in the long term.
However, Washington’s move raises serious questions in the geopolitical landscape: why are Arab countries, which did not trigger the conflict, being pushed to share the financial consequences?
On the other hand, the United States is also facing pressure from its traditional allies. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio openly expressed disappointment with the stance of NATO countries unwilling to support the military operations.
He even hinted that relations with the alliance could be reviewed if strategic access, such as the use of military bases, is not provided when needed.