$80B spent on Iran war
The United States spent $80 billion on the military campaign against Iran before signing the deal at Versailles.
Snapshot · The Rest Is Politics: US
197. Vance Vs Hegseth: Who Takes the Fall for Trump’s Iran Deal?
Explore episode
Jun 18, 2026
Where this was said
The Reflecting Pool Metaphor: Trump's Five-Step Governance Playbook
At 12:20 · chapter starts 10:50
Katty pivots to what becomes the analytical centerpiece of the Iran segment. Trump emptied the Washington DC reflecting pool, painted it American flag blue, reopened it to great ceremony — and six days later it was full of algae. She traces the five-step pattern: announce you'll solve a problem no one else managed; ignore why predecessors failed; grab any quick solution off the shelf; fail spectacularly; refuse to acknowledge failure. She maps every step onto Iran — and the reflecting pool, and Ukraine, and the trade deficit. The American taxpayer picks up the bill each time. On Iran, the bill includes $80 billion spent on the war and a $300 billion reconstruction commitment, with no competitive tender anywhere in the process.
$300B Iran reconstruction program
The US will help contribute to a $300 billion program to rebuild Iran as part of the deal, on top of the $80 billion already spent on the war.
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