Is Iran preparing for war? The military budget raises great controversy

Is Iran preparing for war? The military budget raises great controversy

A member of the Iranian parliament's Foreign Policy and National Security Committee, Ahmad Bakhashish Ardestani, revealed on Wednesday that tripling the allocations for the armed forces in the 2025 budget does not necessarily mean that the country is preparing for war.

Ardestani said in a press interview that tripling the allocations for the armed forces in the 2025 budget does not necessarily mean that "the country is preparing for war," but it may indicate that "negotiations are not an option."

In response to a question about whether increasing the allocations for the armed forces by 200 percent means preparing for war conditions, he said: "It cannot be determined precisely, but in any case, this large increase means that we will not negotiate, and we do not put negotiations on our agenda."

On Wednesday, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, directly stated the intention to implement the “True Promise 3,” saying: “If Iran’s nuclear facilities are attacked, the region will be engulfed in fires of an incalculable extent.”

These statements came after US President Donald Trump threatened that Israel “will launch a military attack on Iran if it does not abandon its nuclear program.”

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had previously said, “We do not have any concerns or problems regarding a hard threat or direct war.” The term “hard threat” is used in official Iranian discourse as a synonym for “war.”

In the 2025 budget bill, the Iranian government plans to export 1.75 million barrels of oil per day, with 420,000 barrels of it allocated to the armed forces. This means that 24 percent of daily oil exports will go directly to the military, according to the Iran International website.

In terms of value, the oil allocated to the armed forces in 2025 is estimated at €11 billion, compared to €4 billion in the 2024 budget, meaning that Pezeshkian has almost tripled the military budget.

“The war situation does not only mean striking, but also being ready to be struck,” said Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Forces. “In fact, the bombing was not bad for us, because it made officials more alert, and we got more money and capabilities,” he added.