Pentagon officials climb the stairs as they leave a classified briefing for members of the U.S. Senate on Capitol Hill on March 10, 2026. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats tasked with defense oversight walked out of a classified meeting Tuesday outraged by President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, as the United States and Israel continue their joint bombing campaign and families prepare to bury seven American service members killed in the conflict.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he left the briefing “more doubtful than ever as to whether there was clarity on the objectives or the exit strategy.”
“I honestly came away from this briefing as dissatisfied and angry as any other briefing in my 15 years in the Senate. I have more questions than answers, particularly about the costs of war,” Blumenthal said.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that “approximately 140 U.S. service members have been injured in 10 days of sustained attacks” since the war in Iran began.
“The vast majority of these injuries were minor and 108 service members have already returned to duty,” he said. “Eight service members are still considered seriously injured and are receiving the best possible medical care.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked at a news conference about a Reuters report that up to 150 U.S. soldiers had been injured in the war. She replied, “I know it’s in that range,” but deferred to the Pentagon for the exact numbers.
Seven US soldiers died, the Pentagon said.
“Most fighters, most bombers”
Military and defense intelligence officials provided the private update to senators shortly after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of (*140*) Gen. Dan Caine, said from the Pentagon that Iran was facing “yet another most intense day of attacks” on Tuesday.
“The most fighters, the most bombers, the most attacks – the reconnaissance is more sophisticated and better than ever before,” Hegseth said.
The secret meeting took place a day later Oil prices Oil prices endured a rollercoaster ride, reaching a peak of $119 a barrel before falling below $90, driven by Iranian authorities’ effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil flows.
Give mixed signals On Monday evening, Trump said the war in Iran would be “a short-term excursion,” but later added that the U.S. military “will not relent until the enemy is completely and decisively defeated.”
Dems not sure about the end of the game
Many Senate Democrats have criticized the administration for not appearing before Congress to publicly debate the war.
“We have repeatedly asked them to come out of the classified rooms so that we can have these conversations in as much of an open setting as possible,” Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., said after leaving the briefing, which took place in a secure information facility (SCIF) under the U.S. Capitol.
“I have to think about what I can and can’t say – it’s concerning, it’s troubling, and I’m not sure what the end result will be or what their plans are. They certainly haven’t made their case,” Rosen said.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said “a number of four people” briefed lawmakers, including a major general and officials from Joint (*140*) Intelligence and the Defense Intelligence Agency, two organizations.
Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told reporters that “wild horses” could not get him to talk about the classified briefing and said he had not received a request for a public hearing from Democrats, including ranking member Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.
Schumer calls for hearings
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., issued a joint press release with Reed and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., shortly after the secret news conference, calling for public hearings “on Trump’s election war.”
“Public hearings with Cabinet-level witnesses have been an integral part of congressional oversight throughout our history, including recent military conflicts and during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Finally, our Founding Fathers were clear about the role of Congress in matters of war as representatives of the American people,” the senators wrote.
South Dakota Republican Sen. Mike Rounds said he felt lawmakers were getting enough information from the administration, but suggested that what happens after the bombing halts will largely be left to civilians in Iran.
“That’s not our focus,” he said. “Our focus has been on eliminating the threat to our people in the Middle East and our allies and being able to address the threats before they get much worse in a very short period of time.”
Rounds said he believes that after the war ends, “it will be up to the Iranian people to decide whether they want to join the free world.”
“Iranians are very smart people. They are well educated. They can rule their country if given the opportunity,” he said. “But if they just come to bring in another group of religious zealots, they’re going to continue to have problems. And I think they realize that.”
Montana’s Sheehy sees progress
Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized the administration for not having clearer goals and an exit strategy.
“Here we are, well into the second week of attacks, and there are still conflicting descriptions of the targets and conflicting descriptions of how we plan to achieve this work.” she said.
Montana Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy said he believes the U.S. military “made great progress” in the first week and a half of the bombing.
He said he expected the war to end once the United States and Israel “eliminate the regime’s ability to continue to spread terror around the world, to continue to control regional waterways and to continue trying to kill Americans and our allies, not just in the region but around the world.”
Shaheen, ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said she hoped the administration would publicly release its investigation into whether the missile was a U.S. missile An accident occurred near a girls’ school in Iran.
“Hopefully they will publish the investigation,” she said. “Certainly I don’t believe there is a deliberate intent to target civilians in Iran in this way, but the fact that there are so many different explanations for what is happening is cause for concern.”
Jacob Fischler contributed to this report.
