Trump wants to recover the full cost of the Iran war from Israel

US President Donald Trump has announced that he will recover the full cost of the recent war against Iran from his Middle Eastern allies. During a television interview, he made it clear that every last dollar of the war will be demanded from the countries that the US military has provided 'protection'. However, diplomatic and analytical circles see Trump's demand more as a clever domestic political strategy and political message than a realistic policy.

President Trump argued in an interview with CBS News that Israel and other wealthy allies in the Middle East would not exist without US military intervention. For the first time, he explicitly included Israel in the list of compensation. The cost of the war has so far cost the US military at least $47.1 billion, not including the damage to US bases. Trump is believed to have chosen to pass the cost of the war on to his allies to appease the anger of the American public after his party's dismal performance in the recent midterm elections.

However, international relations analysts at Chatham House and Durham University believe that the possibility of directly collecting cash from US allies is extremely low. In particular, Gulf countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar or the United Arab Emirates did not start the conflict, but instead suffered from Iranian retaliation. Therefore, rather than seeking direct compensation, the US may try to collect this money indirectly through increased arms sales or trade agreements. On the other hand, Israel's economic limitations and long-standing habit of taking advantage of the US will make it very difficult for Washington to get any significant financial compensation from them.

Source: Al-Jazeera