Iran plans to triple its military budget amid tensions in Israel

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (center) leaves parliament after speaking about his draft budget for next year, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in Tehran, Iran. (AP)

TEHRAN: The Iranian government has proposed tripling its military budget, its spokeswoman said on Tuesday, as tensions with arch-rival Israel rise following recent clashes Missile attacks.
Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani outlined the move at a press conference in Tehran, which would lead to a “significant increase in the country’s military budget by more than 200 percent.”
She did not provide further details and Tehran did not release any figures, but according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Think tank, Iran Military spending in 2023 it was about 10.3 billion US dollars.
The proposed budget is being debated and lawmakers are expected to finalize it in March.
Iran and Israel accused each other of endangering Middle East peace in a heated exchange at a UN meeting on Monday.
It came days after Israel carried out attacks on Iran in response to a rocket fire by the Islamic Republic against Israel on October 1.
The Iranian army reported four soldiers killed and damage to “radar systems.”
Iran’s Oct. 1 attack with 200 rockets was in retaliation for strikes that killed the leaders of the Iranian-backed groups Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as one of their own commanders.
“All efforts have been made to meet the defense needs of the country and special attention has been paid to this issue,” government spokeswoman Mohajerani said.
Regional tensions worsened after Israel launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip to eliminate the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in response to the unprecedented attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Since last month, Israel has also been fighting against the Lebanese Hezbollah movement.