EVEN AS President Donald Trump claimed he could end the war on Iran, whenever he wanted, US lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have raised concerns about the strategy and potential consequences of the US-Israeli war in the Middle East, following a classified congressional briefing.
Speaking on Axios, he claimed the war will end “soon” and there is “practically nothing left to target”.
“Any time I want it to end, it will end,” the outlet reported Trump as saying.
However, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said the Trump administration’s plans for the war appear “incoherent and incomplete” following a two-hour closed-door briefing, Anadolu Agency reported.
Trump claims he can end the war ‘anytime he wants’
“So they are going to spend hundreds of billions of your taxpayer dollars, get a whole bunch of Americans killed, and a hardline regime — probably a MORE anti-American hardline regime — will still be in charge,” Murphy said on X following the briefing.
Murphy said he could not disclose classified information but that the plans discussed left him deeply concerned about the administration’s strategy.
He said the briefing suggested that destroying Iran’s nuclear weapons program is not among the listed war goals.
He also said regime change in Tehran is not part of the strategy, raising questions about what the administration ultimately hopes to achieve through the strikes.
According to Murphy, the briefing indicated the primary focus is targeting Iranian missiles, boats and drone factories.
“But the question that stumped them: what happens when you stop bombing and they restart production? They hinted at more bombing. Which is, of course, endless war,” he said. Murphy also warned that officials did not present a clear plan for reopening the Strait of Hormuz after Iran disrupted the key global oil shipping route.
Senator Richard Blumenthal said he left the briefing “dissatisfied and angry”, warning that the conflict could lead to the deployment of US ground troops in Iran.
“We seem to be on a path toward deploying American troops on the ground in Iran to accomplish any of the potential objectives,”Blumenthal told reporters.
Senator Elizabeth Warren questioned the financial burden of the war, saying the government appears willing to spend massive sums on the military campaign.
“The one part that seems clear is that while there is no money for 15 million Americans who lost their healthcare, there’s a billion dollars a day to spend on bombing Iran,” Warren said.
Some Republicans have also voiced reservations about the war.
Senator Rand Paul said he doesn’t think there was an “imminent threat” of attack from Iran.
“We’re also told we’re going to free the oppressed people of Iran. I hope and wish for them to have freedom, but if our foreign policy is to free oppressed people, the wars would never end,” Paul said. “I’m going to continue to advocate for the Donald Trump who didn’t advocate for regime change.”
Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina also warned against sending American troops into another Middle East conflict, saying she does “not want to send South Carolina’s sons and daughters into war with Iran”.
Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2026
