Democrats sound alarm after Iran briefing

Democrats in the US Senate and House say the Trump administration’s justifications for attacking Iran are falling short after a briefing by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other White House officials.

“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,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal.

The lawmaker said he was “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”.

This raises the risk that the US could be drawn into a broader conflict.

Senator Chris Murphy meanwhile said the Trump administration anticipates further US casualties and appears to be committed to an “open-ended engagement with no end in sight”.

House Representative Jason Crow also slammed Rubio’s justifications, saying that it is “very clear that this is a war of choice by president Trump” and that there was no “imminent threat” from Iran that would have justified launching attacks.

-Al Jazeera