Former US defence secretary Leon Panetta has said that the United States’ war with Iran is likely to drag on for another six months and risks becoming another “forever war in the Middle East”, with no clear end in sight.“It’s no mystery that the United States and Iran are caught in a terrible stalemate, in which there really are very few options available to bring this war to an end,” said the ex-Pentagon chief, who served in former President Barack Obama’s administration and oversaw the operation that led to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s death in 2011.&nbsp;Panetta, who also served as CIA director, suggested in an interview with the Guardian that the conflict is on course to become “another failed war” in the Middle East “like Iraq and Afghanistan”.“I think the likelihood is this war is going to continue for another six months without being resolved,” he added.&nbsp;Panetta’s remarks come days after the US army secretary, Dan Driscoll, resigned abruptly, departing amid the conflict after reports of tensions with the defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, over a series of firings.&nbsp;US service members “are going to war at a time when there’s tremendous turmoil at the Pentagon, in the command structure, which really creates a sense that there’s nobody in charge”, said Panetta, who served as defence secretary from 2011 to 2013.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>‘Adversaries of US meeting and supporting each other’</h2>&nbsp;“My biggest concern right now is we live in a very dangerous world, with the primary threats coming from China, from Russia, from North Korea, and from terrorism, and yes, from Iran as well. But what I’m concerned about is that we’re sending a message of weakness to our primary adversaries,” he added.Panetta claimed that the adversaries of the US are meeting and supporting each other in this axis that’s been created.&nbsp;However, the Pentagon had said in a statement that it was “firing on all cylinders” under Hegseth’s leadership.“The premise that the Department is in disarray is completely baseless and an insult to every dedicated professional and warfighter in this building who comes to work every day to defend this nation. This is what reform looks like,” it said.&nbsp;<h2>‘Hope Trump admin learsn long deployment of USS Abraham Lincoln’</h2>&nbsp;Panetta also said he hopes the Pentagon and Trump’s broader administration learn from what happened with the extremely long deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln. “Bottom line is, you do not deploy people endlessly into a war zone without making some kind of plans for rotation,” Panetta said.&nbsp;Earlier this week, JD Vance told reporters that he would not describe the current military conflict with Iran a “war”. And asked whether he expected the conflict to be over by November’s US midterm elections, the vice-president said, “I think the reality is I don’t know the answer to that question. You would have to ask the Iranians.”&nbsp;<h2>‘US often entangles in wars that drain American resources’</h2>&nbsp;Last week, Panetta said that the US has often become entangled in wars that only drain American resources and compared the ongoing conflict to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.“I think we’re locked into an unwinnable war that is going to continue as other wars have continued without any satisfactory conclusion,” he told CNN in a July-end interview.&nbsp;“Whether it was Iraq, whether it was Afghanistan, or whether it’s Iran, we are finding ourselves in unwinnable wars that ultimately consume the United States, hurt our economy, and most importantly, I think, make us look weak to the rest of the world,” Panetta added.

Former US defence secretary Leon Panetta said he hopes the Pentagon and Trump’s administration learn from what happened with the extremely long deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln. He added that people should not be deployed endlessly in a war zone without making any plans for rotation.

Former US defence secretary Leon Panetta has said that the United States’ war with Iran is likely to drag on for another six months and risks becoming another “forever war in the Middle East”, with no clear end in sight. “It’s no mystery that the United States and Iran are caught in a terrible stalemate, in which there really are very few options available to bring this war to an end,” said the ex-Pentagon chief, who served in former President Barack Obama’s administration and oversaw the operation that led to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s death in 2011. Panetta, who also served as CIA director, suggested in an interview with the Guardian that the conflict is on course to become “another failed war” in the Middle East “like Iraq and Afghanistan”. “I think the likelihood is this war is going to continue for another six months without being resolved,” he added. Panetta’s remarks come days after the US army secretary, Dan Driscoll, resigned abruptly, departing amid the conflict after reports of tensions with the defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, over a series of firings. US service members “are going to war at a time when there’s tremendous turmoil at the Pentagon, in the command structure, which really creates a sense that there’s nobody in charge”, said Panetta, who served as defence secretary from 2011 to 2013. ‘Adversaries of US meeting and supporting each other’ “My biggest concern right now is we live in a very dangerous world, with the primary threats coming from China, from Russia, from North Korea, and from terrorism, and yes, from Iran as well. But what I’m concerned about is that we’re sending a message of weakness to our primary adversaries,” he added. Panetta claimed that the adversaries of the US are meeting and supporting each other in this axis that’s been created. However, the Pentagon had said in a statement that it was “firing on all cylinders” under Hegseth’s leadership. “The premise that the Department is in disarray is completely baseless and an insult to every dedicated professional and warfighter in this building who comes to work every day to defend this nation. This is what reform looks like,” it said. ‘Hope Trump admin learsn long deployment of USS Abraham Lincoln’ Panetta also said he hopes the Pentagon and Trump’s broader administration learn from what happened with the extremely long deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln. “Bottom line is, you do not deploy people endlessly into a war zone without making some kind of plans for rotation,” Panetta said. Earlier this week, JD Vance told reporters that he would not describe the current military conflict with Iran a “war”. And asked whether he expected the conflict to be over by November’s US midterm elections, the vice-president said, “I think the reality is I don’t know the answer to that question. You would have to ask the Iranians.” ‘US often entangles in wars that drain American resources’ Last week, Panetta said that the US has often become entangled in wars that only drain American resources and compared the ongoing conflict to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I think we’re locked into an unwinnable war that is going to continue as other wars have continued without any satisfactory conclusion,” he told CNN in a July-end interview. “Whether it was Iraq, whether it was Afghanistan, or whether it’s Iran, we are finding ourselves in unwinnable wars that ultimately consume the United States, hurt our economy, and most importantly, I think, make us look weak to the rest of the world,” Panetta added.

Former US defence secretary Leon Panetta said he hopes the Pentagon and Trump’s administration learn from what happened with the extremely long deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln. He added that people should not be deployed endlessly in a war zone without making any plans for rotation.

Iran War may drag on for another 6 months: Ex-US defence secretary Leon Panetta

US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday (Jun 24) has sent a request to Congress for about $87.6 billion in funding to address “urgent needs”. Most of the funding is sought by the Pentagon to cover expenses related to the Iran war. The proposal also includes money for Ebola response efforts in Central Africa and financial support for American farmers.“We look forward to working with Congress to get this passed on behalf of the Warfighter and ensure we remain ready to respond to contingencies today,” spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.The Department of War has requested for $67 billion in funds, including $21 billion for munitions, $17.3 billion for operational costs and $12.1 billion for classified programs. The Pentagon has stated that it needs $767.5 million for the Department of Energy related to the war and Iran’s nuclear capabilities. It has also cited $300 million for the State Department for embassy security and construction in countries surrounding Iran.The development comes at a politically challenging moment for the White House as the Trump administration faces increasing concerns over the economic impact of the conflict in the Middle East. Lawmakers are also under intense pressure to justify war-related spending. Democrats have already expressed criticism for the proposal, arguing that much of the requested funding should be reviewed through the normal budget process rather than through emergency legislation.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/one-of-the-worst-in-business-trump-threatens-to-sue-abc-news-over-reflecting-pool-report-1782195832015">'One of the worst in business': Trump threatens to sue ABC news over Reflecting Pool report</a>“After dragging America into a reckless war, he now wants Congress to hand him tens of billions more to paper over the damage – while families are still paying higher prices,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the supplemental request.Calling the request “an attempt to secure tens of billions of additional dollars for unrelated Pentagon priorities”, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the leading Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said that the funds “should rightly be considered through the annual appropriations process”.“I will closely review this request in its entirety and ensure we take care of our servicemembers, but I will not rubberstamp tens of billions more for this disastrous war of choice,” she said in a statement.Defending the proposal, GOP Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that the funding was “essential,” adding that it would “accelerate immediate production of key capabilities, from exquisite munitions to low-cost hypersonics, strike weapons and drones.”Apart from military spending, the proposal also seeks $11.1 billion in farm aid and $1.4 billion for efforts against the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and other parts of Africa.

The Trump administration has asked Congress for $88 billion in emergency funding to cover Iran war costs, Ebola outbreak response, military readiness and financial aid for American farmers.

US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday (Jun 24) has sent a request to Congress for about $87.6 billion in funding to address “urgent needs”. Most of the funding is sought by the Pentagon to cover expenses related to the Iran war. The proposal also includes money for Ebola response efforts in Central Africa and financial support for American farmers. “We look forward to working with Congress to get this passed on behalf of the Warfighter and ensure we remain ready to respond to contingencies today,” spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. The Department of War has requested for $67 billion in funds, including $21 billion for munitions, $17.3 billion for operational costs and $12.1 billion for classified programs. The Pentagon has stated that it needs $767.5 million for the Department of Energy related to the war and Iran’s nuclear capabilities. It has also cited $300 million for the State Department for embassy security and construction in countries surrounding Iran. The development comes at a politically challenging moment for the White House as the Trump administration faces increasing concerns over the economic impact of the conflict in the Middle East. Lawmakers are also under intense pressure to justify war-related spending. Democrats have already expressed criticism for the proposal, arguing that much of the requested funding should be reviewed through the normal budget process rather than through emergency legislation. Also read | 'One of the worst in business': Trump threatens to sue ABC news over Reflecting Pool report “After dragging America into a reckless war, he now wants Congress to hand him tens of billions more to paper over the damage – while families are still paying higher prices,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the supplemental request. Calling the request “an attempt to secure tens of billions of additional dollars for unrelated Pentagon priorities”, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the leading Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said that the funds “should rightly be considered through the annual appropriations process”. “I will closely review this request in its entirety and ensure we take care of our servicemembers, but I will not rubberstamp tens of billions more for this disastrous war of choice,” she said in a statement. Defending the proposal, GOP Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that the funding was “essential,” adding that it would “accelerate immediate production of key capabilities, from exquisite munitions to low-cost hypersonics, strike weapons and drones.” Apart from military spending, the proposal also seeks $11.1 billion in farm aid and $1.4 billion for efforts against the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and other parts of Africa.

The Trump administration has asked Congress for $88 billion in emergency funding to cover Iran war costs, Ebola outbreak response, military readiness and financial aid for American farmers.

Trump administration requests $88 billion for Iran war, other expenses

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Iran War may drag on for another 6 months: Ex-US defence secretary Leon Panetta

Trump administration requests $88 billion for Iran war, other expenses