US Senator Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday that he is "more fearful than ever" that American forces could be deployed to Iran after a closed-door briefing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the escalating US-Israeli attacks under Operation Epic Fury.
"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," Blumenthal told reporters.
The Democratic senator from Connecticut said he left the classified briefing with more questions than answers about the administration's strategy and long-term priorities in the widening conflict.
"I also am 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," he said.
Blumenthal warned that the lack of clarity on objectives raises the risk that the US could be drawn into a broader conflict.
Tensions have escalated across the region since the US and Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran on Saturday, killing nearly 800 people, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and top military officials.
Iran has responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Gulf countries, which are home to US military assets.
The joint attacks came as talks between the US and Iran over Iran's nuclear program had been ongoing under Oman's mediation. A new round of talks in Geneva ended Thursday.
