Trump Weighs Winding Down Iran War Even as Pentagon Deploys More Marines, Seeks $200 Billion
Three weeks into Operation Epic Fury, President Trump signals a possible drawdown in Iran — even as the Pentagon surges 2,500 Marines and pushes a $200 billion war funding request.
Three weeks ago, American airstrikes killed Iran's Supreme Leader. Now, as body counts rise and oil prices bite into household budgets across the globe, President Donald Trump says the United States may be nearing the exit.
Trump announced on Truth Social March 20 that the administration is considering winding down military operations in Iran — even as the Pentagon deployed 2,500 additional Marines to the Middle East and pressed the White House to approve a $200 billion funding request to Congress. That request had yet to be formally transmitted to Capitol Hill.
"We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran," Trump wrote.
The announcement landed four weeks into Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-led war that began after coordinated airstrikes killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the initial timeline for the operation was four to six weeks — with March 21 marking the end of week three.
The military has moved fast. CENTCOM struck more than 7,000 targets inside Iran as of March 16, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth showed little patience for budget skeptics. "It takes money to kill bad guys," he told reporters March 19. But on Capitol Hill, that logic is running headlong into a wall of resistance.
Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado announced she would vote against any war supplemental funding. "I've already told leadership, I am a 'no' on any war supplementals. I am so tired of spending money elsewhere. I am tired of the industrial war complex getting all of our hard-earned tax dollars," she said. Democrats, for their own reasons, are equally opposed.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York called for ending what he termed a "reckless war of choice" before more billions are spent. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer argued the sheer size of the request exposed a contradiction at the heart of the administration's messaging. "If Trump wants $200 billion, it means he believes we will be at war for a very, very long time. That's the last thing Americans want," Schumer said.
Back home, American consumers are already absorbing the war's cost. Brent crude surged to $126 per barrel on March 8 before settling near $119 — a price shock traced directly to Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz to Western shipping. The narrow waterway carries roughly one-fifth of global petroleum trade, making the blockade a potent economic weapon.
The International Energy Agency responded with an emergency release of 400 million barrels from global strategic reserves, with the United States contributing 172 million barrels. Still, relief at the pump has been modest. "The U.S. is definitely affected. Because it's a global oil market, if something goes wrong anywhere, the price goes up everywhere," said Mark Finley of Rice University's Baker Institute.
The war's human costs cut deeper. On Feb. 28 — the same day Khamenei was killed — an airstrike struck a girls' elementary school in Minab, Iran. Iranian authorities reported 168 children died. Trump, speaking to reporters March 9, said "Iran or somebody else" was responsible. No independent investigation has publicly established blame.
The death toll from nearly four weeks of fighting spans borders. U.S. Central Command confirmed 13 American service members killed in action. Israeli authorities reported 18 dead. Iran's Health Ministry placed its domestic toll at 1,444. Lebanon has suffered losses as the conflict spreads beyond Iran's borders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed satisfaction with the campaign's results — and appetite for more. "We are winning, and Iran is being decimated," he said March 20, before adding that "there has to be a ground component, as well." Trump drew a clear line: the United States is not putting troops into Iran.
The strait remains closed to Western shipping. Iran allows oil tankers from China, India and other Asian nations to pass but blocks vessels bound for the United States, Israel and their allies. Tanker tracking data shows Iran has exported 11.7 million barrels to China since the war began, though daily shipments have fallen from 2.16 million barrels to roughly 1.22 million barrels per day.
Trump argued the blockade would dissolve once Iran's threat was eliminated. "If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn't be necessary once Iran's threat is eradicated," he wrote on Truth Social. France announced it would deploy warships to escort merchant vessels through the strait in the meantime. Trump labeled allies who declined to send warships "cowards," exposing fresh fractures within NATO.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent offered a separate carve-out: the administration may ease sanctions temporarily to allow Iranian oil already at sea to reach buyers. "In the coming days, we may unsanction the Iranian oil that's on the water. It's about 140 million barrels," he said March 19.
The alliance's internal divisions extend to strategy. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard noted a visible gap between American and Israeli objectives. "We can see through the operations that the Israeli government has been focused on disabling the Iranian leadership and taking out several members, obviously beginning with the ayatollah," she told reporters. The United States officially targets Iran's missile capabilities, defense industry and nuclear program, with no stated goal of regime change — a distinction Israel's strikes on leadership figures have quietly complicated.
The additional Marine deployment draws from the USS Boxer amphibious ready group, based in California. Lawmakers from both parties are demanding detailed spending breakdowns before they cast a vote on the $200 billion request.
"I want to make sure I know the game plan. We want to know what the result is going to be... $200 billion is a lot of money," said Rep. Chip Roy of Texas.