Recommendations of the Editorial team
As Democrats left a closed-door briefing on U.S. military action against Iran on Tuesday evening, many voiced their frustration with the Trump administration. And said that the president and his team had not adequately justified the attack on foreign soil.
“I have to say that after this briefing, I fear more than ever that we are sending ground troops and that U.S. soldiers may be necessary to achieve the goals that the administration appears to be pursuing,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said after the meeting, which was held by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Joint Chiefs Chair Dan Caine.
Blumenthal added: “I believe the administration owes the American people briefings – not just for members of Congress, but for the entire public.”
Warren’s warning to the nation
In a video posted to social media by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), she addressed viewers directly, saying, “It’s so much worse than you thought.” Warren added: “You are right to be concerned. The Trump administration has no plan for Iran. This illegal war is based on lies and was launched without any immediate threat to our nation. Donald Trump has not given a single clear reason for this war to date – and he does not appear to have a plan for how it will end.”
The United States and Israel began a war against Iran on Saturday, which Donald Trump described as “massive and ongoing.” Iran’s longtime Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed by U.S. and Israeli strikes, as were several top figures in his regime. Several US soldiers have already fallen, and Trump, Hegseth and Caine have warned that more Americans will die.
Trump has since made a series of contradictory statements to the media about his administration’s plan moving forward. The president and the administration said they needed to address the threat Iran posed to the United States, even though Iran does not have a nuclear weapon and the administration acknowledged it had no intelligence indicating a planned attack by Iran on U.S. forces. At a Pentagon news conference, Hegseth said the US currently had no troops in Iran, but did not rule out ground troops. He also claimed that “this is not a war for regime change” – although the attacks were targeted at the regime’s top leadership – before adding shortly afterwards: “The regime has changed.”
Murphy: “Open and forever”
On Tuesday, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) shared his reaction with reporters after the briefing, saying, “I am now more convinced than ever that this is open-ended — and will last forever.” He continued: “They clearly appear to be comfortable with hardline forces remaining in control of the country, as they plan to conduct sustained air operations over the country in pursuit of their missile, drone and nuclear capabilities.”
