‘No endgame’: Why US Democrats say Iran war probe worries them | US-Israel war over Iran news

A group of Democrats in the United States Senate is pushing for a public hearing on the country’s war against Iran after receiving a series of classified briefings from officials in President Donald Trump’s administration.

Lawmakers say the White House has not clearly explained why the US entered the conflict, what its goals are or how long it might last.

Republicans currently hold a narrow, 53-47 Senate majority, which gives them the power to control what legislation reaches the floor for debate.

Some Democrats expressed frustration after a recent closed-door briefing. Trump has not ruled out sending US ground troops to Iran.

“I just came from a two-hour classified briefing on the war,” Connecticut state senator Chris Murphy said Tuesday. “This confirmed to me that the technique was completely inconsistent.

“I think it’s very simple: If the president does what the Constitution requires and goes to Congress to get the authority for this war, he won’t get it — because the American people demand that they vote for their members of Congress,” he said.

Here’s what we know:

What’s up so far?

Since the US and Israel launched the attack on Iran on February 28, senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have held several closed-door meetings to brief members of Congress on the military operation and its progress.

Because the meetings are classified, lawmakers are restricted in what they can publicly disclose about the information they receive.

What are the Democrats saying?

Several Democratic senators said they left the briefings frustrated, arguing that the administration had not provided clear answers about the war’s objectives, timeline or long-term strategy that would guide its approach to the conflict.

Earlier this week, six Democratic senators called for an investigation into a strike on a girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran. Reports indicate the attack, which investigators say involved US forces, killed at least 170 people, many of them children.

“There seems to be no end game,” said Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. “The president, almost in the same breath, says it’s almost over, and at the same time, it’s just started. So it’s kind of a paradox.”

Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts expressed concern about the cost of the war.

“One part that’s clear is that there’s a billion dollars a day to bomb Iran, even if there’s no money for the 15 million Americans who lost their health care,” Warren said Tuesday.

“One thing for Congress to do is to stop these kinds of actions through the power of the purse,” he said.

Others are concerned that a floor assignment could take place.

“We are on track to deploy American forces in Iran to achieve any potential objectives here,” Blumenthal, of Connecticut, told reporters after Tuesday’s classified briefing.

“The American people deserve to know more about the cost of war, the danger to our sons and daughters in uniform, and the potential to further escalate and extend this war,” he said.

What will the Republicans say?

Republicans, who hold slim majorities in both houses of Congress, have almost unanimously backed Trump’s campaign against Iran, with only a handful expressing doubts about war.

Some Republican leaders say the strikes are necessary to curb Iran’s military capabilities, missile program and regional influence.

They have argued that the operation is limited in scope and designed to undermine Iran’s ability to threaten US forces and allies in the region.

Rep. Brian Mast, Republican of Florida, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, publicly thanked Trump last week for taking action against Iran, saying the president was using his constitutional authority to defend the US against an “imminent threat” posed by Tehran.

But some Republican members of Congress are concerned.

Rep. Nancy Mays of South Carolina said in a post on X that she “doesn’t want to send South Carolina’s sons and daughters to war with Iran.”

Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, accused the Trump administration of changing its narrative and rationale for war on a daily basis.

“We keep hearing new reasons for war with Iran—none of which are convincing,” he wrote in X. “‘Free the oppressed’ sounds noble, but where does it end? We’ve been told for decades that Iran is weeks away from a nuke. War should be a last resort, not our first move. War of choice is not my choice.”

Why is discussion important?

The dispute has reignited a long-running debate in Washington, DC, about the limits of presidential war powers.

Under the US Constitution, Congress has the power to declare war, but modern presidents often launch military operations without formal congressional approval, often citing national security or emergency threats.

The law allows the president to deploy US forces for up to 60 days without congressional authorization, followed by a 30-day withdrawal period if Congress does not approve the action.

Some lawmakers and legal experts say the war on Iran highlights the need for stronger congressional oversight of military action.

“In the 1970s, we adopted what’s called the War Powers Resolution, which gives the president limited ability to do this,” said David Schultz, a professor in Hamline University’s departments of political science and law.

“So, you can argue that what the president is doing violates the Constitution … is not a formally declared war; or b, it exceeds his authority under the Commander-in-Chief or the War Powers Act,” he said.

“And so, you can argue domestically, their actions are illegal and unconstitutional,” Schuttlz said.

The Trump administration has argued that the February 28 strikes were justified in response to an “imminent threat,” a term often used by presidents to justify military action without prior congressional approval.

However, US intelligence agencies had said before the start of the war that there was no evidence of an imminent Iranian threat to the US or its facilities across the Middle East.