Iran wants to triple its defense budget

Fatemeh Mohajerani, Iran's government spokeswoman, said the plan to increase the defense budget was part of a proposal submitted by the government to parliament .

“Iran’s defense budget will increase by 200 percent, a significant increase,” Mohajerani said on October 29, according to Al Jazeera. The budget proposal will be discussed and Iranian lawmakers are expected to finalize the bill by March 2025.

Iranian military participates in drills in the Gulf of Oman in 2020

Tehran does not release details of its defense budget, but according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), based in Sweden, Iran's defense spending in 2023 is about $10.3 billion. World Bank (WB) data shows Tehran spends about $6.8 billion on its defense budget in 2022.

CNN reported on October 29 that before Ms. Mohajerani's statement, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian submitted a draft budget to parliament, mentioning an increase in military spending, citing regional fluctuations.

The information was released in the context of the escalating conflict in the Middle East, with the Israeli army on October 26 conducting airstrikes on a series of military sites in Iran, in response to Tehran launching nearly 200 missiles at Israel on October 1. The Israeli attack last weekend killed four Iranian soldiers. Iran later affirmed that it would use "all available tools" to respond to Israel. According to CNN, this year is also the first time Israel and Iran have directly attacked each other's territory.

In addition to defense issues, President Pezeshkian added that the new budget proposal still ensures economic development plans, increases oil production capacity, improves medicine reserves, manages water distribution and provides affordable housing for low-income people.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/iran-muon-tang-ngan-sach-quoc-phong-gap-3-lan-185241029205943135.htm