Elizabeth Warren said a classified briefing about Donald Trump’s war on Iran has confirmed the situation surrounding the controversial conflict is even more dire than expected.
The Massachusetts senator was among a number of Democrats who attended a closed-door meeting Tuesday about the president’s war in the Middle East, and warned that the administration has no clear plan to end the conflict, or any real justification for starting it.
“Here’s what I can say: It is so much worse than you thought. You are right to be worried,” Warren, 76, said in a video posted online.
“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. Donald Trump still hasn’t given a single clear reason for this war, and he seems to have no plan for how to end it.”
“Like a lot of you, I am really angry. I am angry at what Donald Trump is doing, and I feel grief for those already killed in this unnecessary conflict. And I will keep doing everything I can to fight to end this war,” Warren added.
Trump confirmed in the early hours of Feb. 28 that the U.S. had joined forces with Israel to launch a bombing campaign against Iran after months of pressuring Tehran to agree to a new nuclear deal.
One of Trump’s justifications for starting the war—that Iran was preparing to launch an unprovoked attack on U.S. forces or bases in the region, or was building missiles capable of reaching U.S. soil—has never been backed by official intelligence assessments.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also faced intense MAGA backlash after appearing to suggest that the U.S. only attacked Iran after being made aware that Israel was about to do so.
“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action,” Rubio told reporters at the Capitol on Monday. “We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces. And we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.”
Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut was another Democrat who spoke out against the war after attending Tuesday’s classified briefing with Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs Chair Dan Caine. Rubio, Caine, and Ratcliffe gave a similar briefing on Monday, highlighting the administration’s concerns that Congress could turn against it over the conflict.
“I’m more convinced now that this is going to be open-ended and forever,” Murphy told reporters Tuesday. “This feels like a multi-trillion-dollar, open-ended conflict with a very confusing and constantly shifting set of goals.”
Fellow Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal added: “I just want to say 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.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
