US President Donald Trump asked Congress on Wednesday for nearly $88 billion in extra spending, most of it to cover the cost of the Iran war, at a moment of growing unease in both parties over the conflict and its political price. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.
Trump, Republican senator engage in shouting match over Iran war
US President Donald Trump faced pointed criticism over the Iran war on Wednesday in a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans, shortly before his administration asked Congress for tens of billions of dollars to pay for the conflict.
Several Republicans in the closed-door meeting said Trump engaged in a shouting match with Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who said the administration needed to explain a framework deal Trump signed last week that provides financial incentives for Iran but does not accomplish any of the goals he laid out at the war’s beginning.
“The American people need to know more than we are being told,” Cassidy told reporters. “It does not appear, although I don’t know for sure, that the course of this is going the way that we were told.”
IRGC: new Hormuz route announced without Iran coordination is unacceptable, dangerous
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps on Thursday said safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is only
possible through routes designated by Iran, and that a new route announced without coordination with Iran is unacceptable and a safety risk.
IRGC said it will take action against vessels that fail to comply with the requirements.
Trump seeks nearly $88 billion in extra funding for Iran war
US President Donald Trump asked Congress on Wednesday for nearly $88 billion in extra spending, most of it to cover the cost of the Iran war, at a moment of growing unease in both parties over the conflict and its political price.
The White House request for $87.6 billion in supplemental funding includes tens of billions of dollars for the Pentagon, as well as money for US farmers, Ebola response efforts in central Africa and domestic infrastructure projects.
The proposal landed a day after Congress passed a largely symbolic resolution calling on Trump to end US hostilities with Iran unless lawmakers explicitly authorize military action.
It also came as the administration tries to turn a preliminary agreement with Tehran into a final settlement after months of war that rattled global energy markets, pushed up prices and exposed divisions inside Trump‘s Republican Party.
US President Donald Trump said a deal with Iran that included fees in the Strait of Hormuz would be “unacceptable”.
Hezbollah accused Israel of a new ceasefire “violation” after an Israeli drone killed two people in southern Lebanon a day after two people died in Israeli gunfire.
The Israeli military said it carried out an airstrike targeting suspected Hezbollah militants who crossed into the so-called “security zone” it has created in southern Lebanon, the second such incident it reported within hours.
