US President Donald Trump has declared that US allies in the Middle East must cover all expenses Washington has had during the war with Iran, which lasted eight months.

The countries we’ve protected will return all the costs we’ve had for the war, Trump said in an interview for CBS News, broadcast on Sunday.

His statement comes in the wake of the republican’s major losses in the recent Muslim elections, which party officials have mainly linked to voter discontent over the conflict with Tehran and rising gas prices in the US.

The US and Israel have named the conflict, which began with air strikes on Iran on February 28th, as a preventative struggle to counter the threat that they said presented Tehran’s nuclear and missile programmes.

Referring to Middle Eastern countries that targeted Iranian drones and missiles after the launch of the attacks, Trump said that without American support they would not exist.

Without us, Israel wouldn’t exist, he added, broadcasts Telegrafi.

Iran has attacked at least 11 countries since the beginning of the US-led bombings, while the United Arab Emirates and Israel have been hit especially hard.

Iranian attacks on fears and rockets have also caused the depletion of a significant portion of the global reserves of Western air defence systems, especially the American ones used for ballistic missile interception.

During the war, the US has sent additional Patriot and THAAD systems, which are among the most advanced ground air defence systems, to protect American bases and its allies.

The cost of war has reached tens of billions of dollars

Just days before the middle elections, it became known that the Pentagon’s assessment of the total cost of war had reached $47 billion.

According to the US Congress Budget Office ( From February to early August, the conflict had cost some $38 billion. During this period, the U.S. had spent more than $13 billion on air defence interceptive missiles.

The replacement of weapons used, including Tomahawk and Patriot missiles, has been named one of the U.S. Army’s major expenditures during the conflict.

According to The Wall Street Journal’s report, citing unidentified American officials, by mid-July the US had used more than 1,700 Patriot interceptive missiles and over 200 T rockets HAAD in the Middle East.

However, the cost of each country is complex. Exactly how many interceptive missiles have been used to protect each country, or whether certain interceptors are engaged to neutralise an Iranian missile.

In addition to the cost of weapons, the US has had other expenses that are difficult to attribute directly to specific countries, such as increased fuel consumption due to additional military aircraft flights and reconstruction of American bases in the region.

A Patriot interceptor rocket costs about four million dollars.

According to CBO analysts, during the most intense stages of fighting, especially in the first weeks of American attacks, war cost the US about three billion dollars a month. During lower – intensity periods, expenses amounted to about two thirds of that amount.

Trump has also warned that, in the absence of an agreement on formal conflict outcome and limiting the Iranian nuclear programme, the US could resume large-scale attacks on targets in Iran.

Trump warns changes even in Israel’s help

On the day of the Muslim election, Trump declared that the US would stop sending about four billion dollars in financing to Israel by the end of 2026.

Currently, Washington offers Israel an estimated $3.8 billion military assistance annually. However, the memorandum of understanding signed during former President Barack Obama’s administration, which stipulates this commitment, expires in 2028.

The deal envisions that Israel will eventually spend all these funds on American defence industry companies.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office reacted a few days later, claiming that Israel has used US military assistance to protect itself and face enemies threatening the US and West.

In response, Netanyah’s office also said that relations between Israel and the US could adapt and remain strong in the future.

Netanyah had declared earlier this year that he hoped Israel would no longer depend on American military aid, but had acknowledged that this process could last about a decade.

Such a change could influence debates in Washington on Israel’s support, especially among the Democrats, who have increased criticism due to the Gaza war. At the same time, this would give Israel more independence in decision-making for future military operations.

In the CBS News interview, Trump said American voters had expressed disappointment at rising fuel prices as a result of the war with Iran, as well as what he described as a major antipathy towards Israel. /Telegraphy/