“Once again, tonight will be the biggest attacks to date, just like yesterday,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a few hours ago during a Pentagon press conference on .
Hegseth has repeatedly announced “the largest attacks to date” in previous press conferences, which international media say reflects a steady escalation of operations, accompanied by increasingly aggressive rhetoric — but also increasing demands on resources.
In the same press conferences he paints a picture of widespread military success, claiming that thousands of targets have been hit — more than 7,000, according to reports — and that critical Iranian infrastructure has been “overwhelmingly destroyed.”
However, this rhetoric itself raises questions: when each day is presented as the “greatest”, the conflict takes on the characteristics of a perpetual escalation, since as Hegseth himself said “there is no clear timetable” for the end of the war.
Issues of cost and political pressure
In this context, the economic dimension of the war also emerges. As the Washington Post reported, the Pentagon is considering a request for additional funding of up to $200 billion.
Hegseth himself did not confirm a specific amount, but he openly acknowledged the need for additional resources, typically stating that “money is needed” to continue operations (“to kill the bad guys”) and that the administration would return to Congress to secure funding.
The nexus of military escalation and increased spending is having immediate repercussions domestically in the US, according to US media.
At the same time, the fact that the strikes are not limited to purely military targets is of particular concern. Attacks have also extended to energy infrastructure, including large natural gas fields.
The attack on Iran’s South Pars field — one of the world’s largest — as well as strikes on liquefied natural gas facilities in the Gulf, such as today’s in Qatar, highlight the widening of the conflict toward critical economic hubs.
The effects were immediate: a rise in oil and natural gas prices, but also heightened concern about a wider destabilization of the global energy market.
Military reinforcement and open fronts
At the same time, the US is strengthening its military presence in the region. The US Navy ship USS Tripoli is headed to the Middle East, carrying a fast-action force of about 2,200 troops.
This development, without a clear explanation of its role, reinforces the image of a conflict that remains open and potentially escalating.
Despite assurances that the operations are “targeted” and do not constitute a new protracted war, the data points in another direction: an increasing number of targets, widening damage to critical infrastructure, a build-up of forces and a parallel search for additional funding.
