Trump wants Israel and Gulf allies to fund Iran war

US President Donald Trump wants to recoup the full cost of America's spending on the Iran war from Israel and Gulf allies as compensation. Jugantor, The Business Standard, Jagonews24 and Prothom Alo all report that he has raised this demand.

The Business Standard and Prothom Alo report that Trump made the remarks in an interview with CBS News correspondent Ross Douthat. The interview aired last Sunday.

According to The Business Standard and Prothom Alo, Trump's argument is that these countries would not exist without the United States. The Business Standard and Prothom Alo write that this is the first time he has explicitly named Israel as a source of compensation.

Trump claims Israel would not exist without US military intervention, according to The Business Standard and Prothom Alo.

According to The Business Standard and Prothom Alo, the demand surfaced after the big midterm defeat of Trump and the Republicans. Trump himself admitted that public discontent over the war was one of the reasons for the loss.

According to The Business Standard and Prothom Alo, Trump declared the war effectively over. But The Business Standard and Prothom Alo report that he defended the decision to start it as a 'very good decision'.

The Business Standard writes that Trump claimed the United States destroyed Iran's nuclear arsenal.

Analysts cited by Prothom Alo say Trump raised this unrealistic demand to offset the midterm loss and please voters.

The Business Standard reports that US spending on the war stood at 1 billion dollars as of mid-October. It adds that the actual cost may be higher than the US military's estimate. According to The Business Standard and Prothom Alo, a poll cited by the same paper found 71 percent of Americans want the new Congress to end the war.