Democratic Senator: Trump has no clear strategy regarding Iran
Democratic Senator Christopher Murphy has revealed details regarding US President Donald Trump’s administration’s plans for war with Iran, describing the strategy as unclear and full of loopholes.
After taking part in a two-hour secret briefing on the conflict, Murphy said the administration could not openly defend this war, which explains why the briefings were held behind closed doors.
The senator pointed to a big surprise in the plan, as the declared goals of the war don’t include eliminating Iran’s nuclear program, although Trump has reiterated in his speeches that this goal is a key priority.
He added that air strikes alone won’t be able to destroy Iran’s nuclear material, highlighting the limitation of the military option in this issue.
He also stressed that regime change in Iran isn’t part of the plan either, warning that the United States could spend hundreds of billions of dollars and lose American lives, while the current regime remains in power and may become more hardline.
Sen. Murphy explained that military operations are mainly focused on the destruction of Iranian missiles, military boats and drone factories.
But he questioned what would happen after the bombing stopped if Iran rebuilt its military capabilities, noting that the response he received from officials was the possibility of additional strikes, which he saw as an indication of a long war with no clear end.
On another troubling point, the senator said officials hadn’t presented a clear plan to deal with the possibility of closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important sea lanes for global oil trade.
He added that the administration didn’t explain how to safely reopen the strait in the event that Iran disrupted it, calling it a major planning lapse.
