US Pentagon Seeks More Iran War Funding Amid Escalating Strikes and Regional Tensions

US Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is also pushing for more funding for the war. It comes as the US military struck Iran for the 11th consecutive night. DW has the latest.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth requests fresh funding for Iran War in remarks to senators

Republicans unveil $95 billion military funding plan

Hegseth's testimony was interrrupted by protesters against the Iran war

US strikes Iran for 11th consecutive night, CENTCOM says

Explosions reported in Tehran for first time since US-Iran ceasefire fell apart on July 8

Trump allows direct US flights to Lebanon in historic decision

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that Beirut is working toward a "complete Israeli withdrawal" from occupied areas during a visit to a village in the south of the country where the Lebanese army recently deployed.

"We will continue mobilizing our political and diplomatic efforts to secure a complete Israeli withdrawal from the south," he said in Zawtar al-Gharbiya.

This battered village is one of several "pilot zones" intended to demonstrate the Lebanese army's ability to remove and disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah as part of a Washington-sponsored deal with Israel.

Salam's visit to the village comes a day after President Michel Aoun's meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, where Aoun said he "stressed the urgent need for a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory."

Trump promised to support the Lebanese government's efforts to establish state control throughout the country.

According to the agreement signed last month, the Lebanese army is supposed to disarm Hezbollah militants in the "pilot zones" where it will operate. This will ban military activity by any non-state groups and should pave the way for future Israeli withdrawals from other areas.

However, the Iran-backed group has repeatedly rejected the agreement and refuses to lay down its weapons.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday will attend a ceremony for four US service members who were killed in Iranian attacks in the Middle East. Their bodies will return to American soil in flag-draped caskets.

Trump will travel to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the ceremony, known as a "dignified transfer."

The three US service members who were killed when an Iranian missile hit their sleeping barracks at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on Friday were First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25; Sergeant Angel S. Rampersad, 28; and Private Isabella Gonzales, 19.

Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, died on Sunday in a separate incident in Erbil, Iraq, during a controlled detonation of an attack drone.

Eighteen US service members have been killed since the Iran war began on February 28.

The Jordanian army said it intercepted four Iranian missiles, while two others fell in an open area.

"Air defence systems today detected six missiles coming from Iranian territory," the military said in a statement.

They added that they "intercepted and downed four missiles, while the other two fell in two remote, uninhabited areas without causing any human casualties or material damage."

Earlier, the Iranian army said it targeted accommodations and equipment storage facilities at the Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan.

Iran has executed a man on charges linked to protests in January, according to the judiciary's Mizan news agency.

Mizan identified the man as Mehdi Khaneki and said he was executed for "operational actions" that benefited Israel, the United States, and hostile groups. The agency also reported that he produced and possessed weapons.

The report did not specify the exact time of the execution. To date, the Iranian judiciary has executed at least 25 men in connection with the protests and subsequent unrest according to the German DPA news agency.

Demonstrations broke out in Iran amid the country’s economic crisis in late December. These demonstrations quickly escalated into mass protests against the authoritarian leadership. However, the Iranian government violently suppressed the protests, killing thousands of demonstrators.

The Iranian army said it targeted US forces in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait, according to reports from the Iranian state-run media.

The army said it attacked with drones accommodations and equipment storage facilities at the Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan, as well as equipment warehouses and aircraft maintenance hangars at the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.

The Iranian army also reportedly launched a large-scale drone strike against US military facilities at Camp Doha in western Kuwait. The attack targeted ammunition storage sites and logistics infrastructure supporting American ground forces.

There has been no confirmation of these attacks by the US yet.

According to media reports, the United States plans to announce a deal with Saudi Arabia as early as Wednesday, granting the country permission to enrich uranium as part of a civilian nuclear program.

Citing two people familiar with the matter, the Associated Press reported that President Donald Trump has approved an agreement with Saudi Arabia that would involve US firms in developing the program.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the Trump administration plans to submit a pact with Saudi Arabia to Congress within days, citing two unnamed sources.

According to Reuters' sources, the pact would allow the sharing of nuclear power technology, but it would not include the safeguards that the US has long said would prevent materials from being used in nuclear weapons programs.

The Trump administration reportedly said the 30-year deal will provide billions of dollars for the US nuclear industry. Following a joint US-Saudi study, the deal could allow for the construction of a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia.

However, some US lawmakers from both parties and Israeli officials have expressed concerns about a civilian nuclear project in Saudi Arabia, fearing it could eventually lead to the development of nuclear weapons.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubiosays Washington remains willing to negotiate with Iran but doubts Tehran is serious about finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

"The problem we're having right now is that they're not serious about talks," Rubio said during a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila, in reference to Iran. "If they're serious, we're serious. If they're not, then we will do what's necessary to protect our interests, and also the interests of our allies."

His remarks came as the US military launched an 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iranand concerns grew over disruptions to global energy supplies.

Rubio warned that Iran must not be allowed to control the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that such a move would have implications far beyond the Middle East.

"If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll, and if you don't pay them blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent, which will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including in this region," Rubio said.

Despite the fighting, Rubio said the US remains "open and willing to engage in positive and constructive negotiations and discussions" if Iran honors its commitments.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), says its latest operation targeted Iranian military operations centers, maritime assets, aircraft hangars, drone storage sites and logistics infrastructure.

CENTCOM accused Iran of attacking more than 30 commercial vessels in the strategic waterway over the past three months, saying the attacks endangered civilian crews and disrupted freedom of navigation.

Despite the ongoing conflict, the US military said the Strait of Hormuz remains open to commercial traffic. Since early May, CENTCOM says it has helped facilitate the transit of around 900 commercial vessels carrying approximately 450 million barrels of crude oil through the region.

The US will allow direct flights to Lebanon, President Donald Trump announced.

It comes over 40 years after the US suspended direct flights between the two countries in 1985, during US President Ronald Reagan's administration, in the wake of the hijacking of TWA Flight 847.

Iran activated air defense systems over Tehran early Wednesday, with explosions heard in the northeastern part of the capital, according to Iranian state media.

State television reported air defense activity in several districts across Tehran, including the western, eastern and northeastern parts of the city, which is home to around 9 million people.

A reporter with German news agency DPA also reported explosions in the Iranian capital.

The reports mark the first explosions in Tehran since the latest escalation in the conflict between Iran and the United States. A 60-day ceasefire between the two sides fell apart on July 8.

The US military says it has begun an 11th consecutive night of strikes against targets in Iran.

US Central Command, or CENTCOM, said the operation started at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (11 p.m. UTC/GMT) and is aimed at further reducing Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The latest attacks are part of an ongoing US campaign targeting Iranian military capabilities linked to maritime operations and regional security.

Iranian media reported fresh explosions around Sirik in southern Iran.

US Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth faced tough questioning from lawmakers on Tuesday as he defended the growing cost of the US military campaign against Iran.

Speaking before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hegseth said the conflict has so far cost $37.5 billion (€32.89 billion), a figure significantly higher than earlier estimates. He argued that additional funding is urgently needed, warning that the military faces critical shortfalls without it.

The hearing was repeatedly interrupted by protesters and came days after the Pentagon confirmed that three more US service members had died in the conflict, bringing the American death toll to 17.

Democratic senators challenged both the cost and direction of the war. Senator Patty Murray warned of "another forever war," while other lawmakers questioned why the Pentagon was seeking more funding when some previously approved military spending has yet to be used.

The debate comes as Republicans push a $95 billion budget package that includes tens of billions for the military and national security, as well as funding for agriculture and election-related measures.

Meanwhile, opinion polls suggest many Americans remain critical of US President Donald Trump's handling of the conflict as fighting with Iran continues.