Iran’s $46B War Chest: Desperate Bid to Recover from Israel’s Crushing Blows

Iran’s Parliament passed a landmark bill titled “Strengthening the Military Capabilities of the Armed Forces in Comprehensive Confrontation with the Crimes and Aggression of the Zionist Regime,” allocating an estimated $46 billion for 2025 defense spending. The legislation mandates full funding to bolster Iran’s armed forces and address prior budget shortfalls, following catastrophic losses from Israeli and American strikes in June 2025 that decimated its military leadership and nuclear infrastructure.

The Israeli offensive, launched on June 13, saw the IDF achieve air superiority within four days, eliminating 30 senior Iranian commanders, including Major General Mohammad Bagheri, IRGC commander Hossein Salami, IRGC senior commander Gholam Ali Rashid, and IRGC Aerospace Force commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the operation as creating a “free highway to Tehran,” with Mossad operatives smuggling precision weapons and establishing a covert drone base near the capital to disable air defenses. The strikes crippled two-thirds of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers, approximately 250 units, and destroyed 1,000 missiles.

On June 21, the US escalated with “Operation Midnight Hammer,” deploying seven B-2 stealth bombers to drop 14 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s fortified nuclear facilities at Fordow and Natanz, while Tomahawk missiles struck Isfahan. President Trump declared, “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.” However, a US intelligence report suggested the strikes only delayed Iran’s nuclear program by months, a claim US Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed as “a top secret report; it was preliminary; it was low confidence,” announcing an FBI probe into the leak.

Iran’s retaliation, involving 550 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones, was largely ineffective, with 90% intercepted by Israeli and US defenses. The conflict, which killed 610 in Iran and 30 in Israel, has pushed Iran to plan massive arms purchases from Russia, China, and North Korea, signaling a desperate bid to rebuild. Posts on X reflect mixed sentiments, with some praising Israel’s precision, while others warn of escalating tensions.