Senior Senate Democrat Calls the Iran Conflict “A War of Choice”
Senator Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on CBS’s Face the Nation that American bases in the Middle East had been “on and off under attack” throughout the five months of the conflict and that it remained a war of choice, with no imminent Iranian threat when it began in February. His remarks followed the deaths of two American service members at a Jordanian base at the weekend.
“It’s remarkable in many ways that we’ve not had more casualties,” Mr Warner said — a pointed observation given that more than 50,000 American troops remain deployed across the region and the military death toll has now reached sixteen. Congressional criticism has been muted for much of the campaign, but rising fatalities and the collapse of June’s memorandum of understanding are eroding that restraint, particularly among intelligence committee members who dispute the original threat assessment. The administration’s stated aim has narrowed to degrading Iran’s ability to close the Strait of Hormuz. Watch for renewed war-powers manoeuvres on Capitol Hill if American losses continue to climb.