Arms outlays rise as Iran, Israel trade fire; Trump threatens Iran’s power, water

(Originally published March 31 in “What in the World“) Trump renewed his threat to retaliate against Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz by destroying its civilian infrastructure. Trump posted:

“…if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet ‘touched.’”

Meanwhile:

• Israel attacked what it said were Iranian air-defense sites near the Caspian Sea;
• A drone, presumably Iranian, struck a Kuwaiti oil tanker near Dubai;
• An Iranian missile hit Israel’s largest oil refinery;
• Rockets hit a military base at the Baghdad International Airport;
• Thousands of paratroopers from the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division arrived in the region.

Spending for the ongoing — and potential — wars continues to rise. Israel on Monday increased its military budget for this year by almost 27%, to $45 billion, with additional spending likely to come for the war against Iran. Israeli defense spending has climbed by 153% in the past decade.

Also yesterday, the European Commission approved a plan to spend €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) ramping up weapons production, with more than half going toward boosting manufacture of ammunition, missiles, and anti-drone technology.