DOMINANT ANGLE
Caracas is particularly holding onto the name now associated with this bill: that of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is the target of a parliamentary procedure linking the war in Iran to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The CBO estimates the cost of the war against Iran at $38.1 billion as of August 1, or approximately $246 million per day.
- 02
The Pentagon inspector general's report estimates the losses from Iranian retaliatory strikes on US diplomatic facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan at $184 million.
- 03
Republican Representative Thomas Massie has filed charges against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth linking operations in Iran to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
ANALYSIS
Caracas, September 16, 2026. In Caracas, the bill tallied by the US Congressional Budget Office (CBO) — $38.1 billion as of August 1, or about $246 million per day — is drawing less attention for its budgetary scope than for the name now associated with it: that of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, already targeted by a parliamentary procedure linking operations against Iran to the "capture" of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie has filed charges against Hegseth regarding his "actions in Iran" and the operation targeting Maduro, according to El Nacional. This initiative is part of a resolution filed in April by Democratic lawmakers, containing six articles of impeachment also focused on operations in Iran and other alleged irregularities attributed to the Department of Defense.
Meanwhile, a report by the Pentagon's inspector general, revealed by NBC News and then picked up by other media outlets, confirms a shortage of ammunition within the US armed forces — a reality that President Donald Trump and several officials had persistently denied, according to Últimas Noticias. The document estimates the cost of the war for the period from February 28 to June 30 at $33.4 billion and notes strategic inventory gaps and bottlenecks in the industrial base responsible for replenishing the most advanced ammunition.
The report also estimates the losses caused by Iranian retaliatory strikes on US diplomatic facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan at $184 million, not including damage to military bases, which was not specified. Experts cited in the same document estimate that it will take defense industry manufacturers about three years to rebuild stocks of advanced missiles and interceptors to pre-conflict levels.
For the Venezuelan press, these figures — $38.1 billion according to the CBO, two-thirds of interceptors consumed since June 2025 — are fueling less debate on the US regional strategy than the battle for parliamentary control targeting Hegseth, in which the Iranian dossier and the Venezuelan dossier are now associated before Congress.
SOURCES (2)
- El NacionalMEDIUM
- Últimas NoticiasMEDIUM
