CHANGES DECK, ADDS MORE REACTIONS FROM LAWMAKERS
By Rabia Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) - US Senator Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday that he is “more fearful than ever” that American forces could be deployed to Iran after a closed-door briefing with senior Trump administration officials on the escalating US-Israeli attacks under “Operation Epic Fury.”
“I am more fearful than ever after this briefing that we may be putting boots on the ground and that troops from the United States may be necessary to accomplish objectives that the administration seems to have,” Blumenthal told reporters.
The Democratic senator from Connecticut said he left the classified briefing with more questions than answers about the administration’s strategy and long-term priorities in the widening conflict.
“I also am no more clear on what the priorities are going to be of the administration going forward, whether it is destroying the nuclear capacity of Iran or simply the missiles or regime change or stopping terrorist activities,” he said.
Blumenthal warned that the lack of clarity on objectives raises the risk that the US could be drawn into a broader conflict.
- 'More Americans are going to die'
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts who also attended the briefing on Iran, said in a video message on the US social media company X’s platform that the situation is “so much worse than you thought.”
“The Trump administration has no plan in Iran. This illegal war is based on lies, and it was launched without any imminent threat to our nation,” Warren said, adding that President Donald Trump “still hasn't given a single clear reason for this war.”
Senator Chris Murphy, another Democrat, warned that the conflict could lead to more American casualties.
“This is as serious as it gets. This is war and peace,” Murphy told reporters. “They told us in that room that there are going to be more Americans that are going to die.”
Murphy called for a Senate debate on authorizing military force against Iran, saying lawmakers should not move forward with other legislation before debating what he called a “deeply unpopular, immoral and illegal war.”
Representative Jason Crow also criticized the administration’s decision to launch the operation.
“It’s very clear that this is a war of choice by President Donald Trump. There was no imminent threat against the American people, against American facilities, or persons,” Crow said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized efforts by some lawmakers to force a vote limiting the president’s war powers.
“The idea that a few colleagues here would try to move a war powers motion and resolution to the floor right now is dangerous,” Johnson told reporters.
Tensions have escalated across the region since the US and Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran on Saturday, killing nearly 800 people, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and top military officials.
Iran has responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Gulf countries, which are home to US military assets.
The joint attacks came as talks between the US and Iran over Iran’s nuclear program had been ongoing under Oman’s mediation. A new round of talks in Geneva ended Thursday.