Middle East Eye
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5 stories credited to Middle East Eye
Latest story Apr 16, 2026 · on ChamberLight since Apr 2026
A story can appear as several articles (copies of the same piece), so counts of stories and of articles differ.
Scores for Middle East Eye
Writing quality not enough rated stories yet: 2 of 10. How it is measured
Scores last checked Sep 25, 2026.
Stories ChamberLight collected, by month
Stories credited to Middle East Eye, by publication date. ChamberLight collects articles that mention the officials it tracks, so this shows its own coverage of this source, not how much the source publishes.
- Stories from Middle East Eye
- Shaded: ChamberLight collected no stories, or almost none, from any outlet (a gap in its collection, not in the outlet’s publishing)
Show as a table
| Month | Stories | All outlets |
|---|---|---|
| March 2026 | 2 | 880 |
| April 2026 | 3 | 4,538 |
| May 2026 | 0 | none collected |
| June 2026 | 0 | none collected |
| July 2026 | 0 | none collected |
| August 2026 | 0 | 1 (collection gap) |
| September 2026 | 0 | 1,320 |
Top topics
Share of this source’s stories tagged with each topic. A story can carry several topics, so the shares do not add up to 100%.
- Ethics/Corruption4
80% of 5 stories · 58% across all outlets
- Foreign Policy4
80% of 5 stories · 29% across all outlets
- Defense/Military3
60% of 5 stories · 25% across all outlets
- Criminal Justice1
20% of 5 stories · 19% across all outlets
- Economy1
20% of 5 stories · 26% across all outlets
- Immigration1
20% of 5 stories · 13% across all outlets
The thin mark on each bar is the topic’s share across all outlets.
Who they cover
Party of the officials these stories are mainly about, across all 11 officials named. A story counts once for each official it is mainly about, so the split is over 12 story–official pairs, from 5 stories.
- Democrat58% · 7 pairs
- Republican42% · 5 pairs
Most covered
Stories mainly about each official, and their share of the source’s 5 stories.
- 1Donald TrumpR2 stories · 40%
- 2Andrew OglesR1 story · 20%
- 3Chris Van HollenD1 story · 20%
- 4Christopher MurphyD1 story · 20%
- 5Elizabeth WarrenD1 story · 20%
- 6Gwen MooreD1 story · 20%
- 7Marco RubioR1 story · 20%
- 8Randy FineR1 story · 20%
- 9Richard BlumenthalD1 story · 20%
- 10Ro KhannaD1 story · 20%
+ 1 other official (1 story–official pair)
Article tone
ChamberLight’s article analysis assigns each story a tone toward the official it covers. It describes the coverage of that official, not Middle East Eye’s stance, and reader votes do not change it. 5 stories.
- Good Look
- 0 (0%)
- Mixed
- 4 (80%)
- Informational
- 0 (0%)
- Bad Look
- 1 (20%)
Challenges to these scores
No one has challenged a score on this page yet. Anyone can; editors publish every outcome here.
Articles served from middleeasteye.net
12
Attacks on US Muslims rose eleven-fold this year alone, advocacy group says
Attacks on US Muslims rose eleven-fold this year alone, advocacy group says Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Thu, 04/16/2026 - 17:21 The Muslim Public Affairs Committee attributes the rise to the US-Israeli war on Iran Members of the Muslim community attend prayers outside Masjid-At-Taqwa during Eid al-Fitr celebrations in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, on 30 March 2025 (Charly Triballeau/AFP) Off Attacks on Muslim-American individuals and institutions are at a 15-month high under the Trump administration, the Muslim Public Affairs Committee (Mpac) revealed on Thursday. The group documented an eleven-fold increase in targeted incidents in the first three months of this year alone. At least nine of the attacks occurred in March, ranging from vandalism and bomb threats at mosques to sexual assaults against Muslim women, according to Mpac's policy paper entitled, "The Pitfalls of Operation Epic Fury: How the Undeclared War Against Iran Hurts Americans’ Interests Abroad and at Home." "The one factor we can identify in March is that at the end of February, the war in Iran started, and that is what we think is the delineation between what we saw before in 2025 versus what we're seeing here," Khuram Zaman, the founding director of the Center for Security, Technology and Policy at Mpac, told Middle East Eye. "It's become so mainstream to talk about Muslims," he added. "The talk of burning a mosque down, or doing an IED at a mosque, that's not stuff that you would normally see on social media. And all of a sudden, since the war in Iran, it's becoming acceptable for people [to] use that kind of terminology." Last month, the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) said it tracked posts that explicitly dehumanised, excluded, and incited violence against Muslims from 1 January to 5 March, and noted a "sharp spike" in anti-Muslim posts on Elon Musk's X platform in the hours after the war on Iran began. 'When it's Muslims and our mosques and our communities, there doesn't seem to be that sense of urgency' - Khuram Zaman, Center for Security, Technology and Policy at Mpac The content examined by CSOH encompassed a wide swath that included everything from personal, hate-fuelled opinions to calls for lawmakers to institute strict anti-Muslim policy, including a "Muslim Exclusion Act" and the deportation of all Muslims. But such rhetoric is also coming from Republican lawmakers, which is normalising the matter, Mpac's policy paper indicated. Florida Congressman Randy Fine has largely led the charge, with his calls for the deportation of New York City's Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and his assertion that: "If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one." He has come under fire from Democrats, but not from his own party or the US president. Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles has also made it clear he believes "Muslims don’t belong in American society". Both lawmakers are members of the newly-formed "Sharia-Free America" caucus, which now boasts more than 60 members of the Republican Party. "[That] makes it larger than the Hispanic Caucus. It's larger than the Freedom Caucus, and I think it's about the same size as the Congressional Black Caucus. And members of this caucus have called for the denaturalisation and deportation of Muslims from America, which is ethnic cleansing," Zaman told MEE. 'Weakening civil society' The overall anti-Muslim sentiment is not particularly new - at least not since the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks - but the concern is that it is becoming far more accepted, Mpac's policy paper showed. "Historically, periods of heightened US military engagement in the Middle East have been accompanied by an uptick in anti-Muslim sentiment, driven in part by shifts in media framing and political rhetoric that seek to mobilize public support for conflict," the group said. But "the assumption that curtailing the rights of American Muslims enhances national security is not supported by evidence; rather, it risks undermining trust, cooperation, and the very social cohesion that effective security depends upon", it warned. Half of UK news articles about Muslims are biased, landmark study finds Read More » Mpac's foremost plea is for a permanent end to the US-Israeli war on Iran. "The war with Iran would likely revive and expand domestic security practices reminiscent of the post-9/11 period, including heightened surveillance of American Muslim communities and the broadening of FBI investigative authorities," the policy paper read. "Such measures have historically been accompanied by the erosion of civil liberties, from expanded watchlists to intrusive monitoring of religious and civic spaces...weakening civil society." Rising anti-Muslim sentiment also impacts what Mpac described as "adjacent communities" or communities of colour that can be mistaken for being Muslim, such as Sikh, Hindu, Armenian, and Christian Arab Americans. Mpac urged the Trump administration and public institutions to act in "swiftly condemning all hateful rhetoric and actions, holding perpetrators of violence accountable, and proactively engaging affected communities to understand and be responsive to their needs". But Zaman cautioned that until social media companies start to "take this stuff seriously" and clamp down on accounts that fuel misinformation and violent threats, Muslim Americans will not be safe. "When it's Muslims and our mosques and our communities, there doesn't seem to be that sense of urgency," he said. War on Iran Washington News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
Attacks on US Muslims rose eleven-fold this year alone, advocacy group says
Attacks on US Muslims rose eleven-fold this year alone, advocacy group says Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Thu, 04/16/2026 - 17:21 The Muslim Public Affairs Committee attributes the rise to the US-Israeli war on Iran Members of the Muslim community attend prayers outside Masjid-At-Taqwa during Eid al-Fitr celebrations in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, on 30 March 2025 (Charly Triballeau/AFP) Off Attacks on Muslim-American individuals and institutions are at a 15-month high under the Trump administration, the Muslim Public Affairs Committee (Mpac) revealed on Thursday. The group documented an eleven-fold increase in targeted incidents in the first three months of this year alone. At least nine of the attacks occurred in March, ranging from vandalism and bomb threats at mosques to sexual assaults against Muslim women, according to Mpac's policy paper entitled, "The Pitfalls of Operation Epic Fury: How the Undeclared War Against Iran Hurts Americans’ Interests Abroad and at Home." "The one factor we can identify in March is that at the end of February, the war in Iran started, and that is what we think is the delineation between what we saw before in 2025 versus what we're seeing here," Khuram Zaman, the founding director of the Center for Security, Technology and Policy at Mpac, told Middle East Eye. "It's become so mainstream to talk about Muslims," he added. "The talk of burning a mosque down, or doing an IED at a mosque, that's not stuff that you would normally see on social media. And all of a sudden, since the war in Iran, it's becoming acceptable for people [to] use that kind of terminology." Last month, the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) said it tracked posts that explicitly dehumanised, excluded, and incited violence against Muslims from 1 January to 5 March, and noted a "sharp spike" in anti-Muslim posts on Elon Musk's X platform in the hours after the war on Iran began. 'When it's Muslims and our mosques and our communities, there doesn't seem to be that sense of urgency' - Khuram Zaman, Center for Security, Technology and Policy at Mpac The content examined by CSOH encompassed a wide swath that included everything from personal, hate-fuelled opinions to calls for lawmakers to institute strict anti-Muslim policy, including a "Muslim Exclusion Act" and the deportation of all Muslims. But such rhetoric is also coming from Republican lawmakers, which is normalising the matter, Mpac's policy paper indicated. Florida Congressman Randy Fine has largely led the charge, with his calls for the deportation of New York City's Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and his assertion that: "If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one." He has come under fire from Democrats, but not from his own party or the US president. Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles has also made it clear he believes "Muslims don’t belong in American society". Both lawmakers are members of the newly-formed "Sharia-Free America" caucus, which now boasts more than 60 members of the Republican Party. "[That] makes it larger than the Hispanic Caucus. It's larger than the Freedom Caucus, and I think it's about the same size as the Congressional Black Caucus. And members of this caucus have called for the denaturalisation and deportation of Muslims from America, which is ethnic cleansing," Zaman told MEE. 'Weakening civil society' The overall anti-Muslim sentiment is not particularly new - at least not since the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks - but the concern is that it is becoming far more accepted, Mpac's policy paper showed. "Historically, periods of heightened US military engagement in the Middle East have been accompanied by an uptick in anti-Muslim sentiment, driven in part by shifts in media framing and political rhetoric that seek to mobilize public support for conflict," the group said. But "the assumption that curtailing the rights of American Muslims enhances national security is not supported by evidence; rather, it risks undermining trust, cooperation, and the very social cohesion that effective security depends upon", it warned. Half of UK news articles about Muslims are biased, landmark study finds Read More » Mpac's foremost plea is for a permanent end to the US-Israeli war on Iran. "The war with Iran would likely revive and expand domestic security practices reminiscent of the post-9/11 period, including heightened surveillance of American Muslim communities and the broadening of FBI investigative authorities," the policy paper read. "Such measures have historically been accompanied by the erosion of civil liberties, from expanded watchlists to intrusive monitoring of religious and civic spaces...weakening civil society." Rising anti-Muslim sentiment also impacts what Mpac described as "adjacent communities" or communities of colour that can be mistaken for being Muslim, such as Sikh, Hindu, Armenian, and Christian Arab Americans. Mpac urged the Trump administration and public institutions to act in "swiftly condemning all hateful rhetoric and actions, holding perpetrators of violence accountable, and proactively engaging affected communities to understand and be responsive to their needs". But Zaman cautioned that until social media companies start to "take this stuff seriously" and clamp down on accounts that fuel misinformation and violent threats, Muslim Americans will not be safe. "When it's Muslims and our mosques and our communities, there doesn't seem to be that sense of urgency," he said. War on Iran Washington News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
US lawmakers call to remove Trump after 'civilization will die' threat against Iran
US lawmakers call to remove Trump after 'civilization will die' threat against Iran Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 04/07/2026 - 18:52 The 25th amendment allows for the ousting of a mentally or physically incapacitated president US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the briefing room at the White House in Washington, DC, on 6 April 2026 (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters) Off A slew of Democratic lawmakers are calling for US President Donald Trump to be removed from office via the 25th Amendment - a process by which the vice president and the cabinet assess him as unfit to continue his duties. The statements come as Trump ramps up his stunning rhetoric against Iran, most recently on Tuesday, warning that "a whole civilization will die tonight" if Tehran doesn't agree to a deal with Washington to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as well as stop its nuclear enrichment and missile production. Trump is vowing to "obliterate" Iran's critical infrastructure, which could include its energy, communications, and water systems, if it doesn't agree to his preconditions for a deal by 8 pm local time in Washington on Tuesday. Iran's leaders have said the conditions are non-starters, and are pushing for a complete end to US and Israeli hostilities in the region, as well as compensation for the destruction that has been inflicted. The war is now in its seventh week. Who are the lawmakers? As of Tuesday afternoon in Washington, DC, at least 30 sitting members of Congress have explicitly called for the president to be removed from office. "If the United States Congress has any life left in it, every member of Congress and senator must be calling for Trump's removal today, based on the 25th amendment," California Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna said in a video posted to X on Tuesday. Trump tells Iran: 'A whole civilization will die tonight' Read More » "He is threatening the entire destruction of a civilisation. He is calling Iranians 'animals'. He is showing a total disregard for the humanity of people in Iran, in Gaza, in Cuba. This is a moral crime. It is a war crime. We need to be demanding that Congress convene today, and we need to be invoking the 25th amendment." Trump brushed off any concerns to reporters on Monday about his actions potentially constituting war crimes in Iran, given that civilians rely on critical infrastructure for their basic needs. Colorado Democratic Congresswoman Diana DeGette said lawmakers should begin impeachment proceedings against Trump if his cabinet does not act. "Donald Trump is openly threatening war crimes against the entirety of Iranian civilization. 25th Amendment proceedings must begin immediately, but if the Cabinet is too cowardly, the House should begin the impeachment process," she wrote on X. Illinois Democratic Congresswoman Delia Ramirez echoed that sentiment, adding that Trump is "a warmonger, escalating the conflict for his own profit and consolidation of power". An effort to impeach the president was already initiated on 10 December by Texas Democratic Congressman Al Green. It has two co-sponsors but has failed to gain traction, particularly because both chambers of Congress are majority Republican, and Trump would be acquitted at his Senate trial. Should November's midterm elections change the balance of power, it is likely that Trump may be impeached a third time. The first was in 2018, and then again in 2021. Arizona Democratic Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, herself of Iranian origin, announced on Monday she would bring forward articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth - one of the most vocal proponents of the war. "Trump is escalating a devastating, illegal war, threatening massive war crimes and targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran...the rhetoric has crossed every line. Pete Hegseth is complicit," she wrote on X. "It's clear he's unfit to be president," Michigan Democratic Congressman Shri Thanedar wrote on X. "If Vance, Rubio & the others continue to be spineless cowards, Congress must do everything possible to stop Trump & this war." Fellow Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib called Trump a "maniac" who "should be removed from office". "After bombing a school and massacring young girls, the war criminal in the White House is threatening genocide. It's time to invoke the 25th Amendment," she wrote on X. Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar - a frequent target of the president's anti-Somali sentiments - called him an "unhinged lunatic". "Impeach. Remove," she wrote on X. 'They're animals': Trump doubles down on threat to destroy Iran's critical infrastructure Read More » Wisconsin Democratic Congressman Mark Pocan said Trump "is too unhinged, dangerous, and deranged to have the nuclear codes!", while California Democratic Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove called Trump's rhetoric "pure evil". "Republicans, if there were ever a time to stand up, it’s now," she wrote on X. "I'm sick to my stomach." "Trump’s genocidal language and indiscriminate warfare cannot be normalized or accepted." Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton also agreed that "this is not normal". "This is not just 'Trump being Trump'. This is an insane man who is unfit for office." Delaware Democratic Congresswoman Sarah McBride suggested Trump has crossed a red line. "In a political career defined by grotesque statements, this president’s horrifying, illegal, and genocidal threat this morning is among the most dangerous and appalling," she wrote on X on Tuesday. "You can’t shout 'fire' in a crowded theater and a president cannot be allowed to threaten genocide with the United States military." Massachusetts Democrat Senator Ed Markey urged US troops not to follow Trump's orders if they could be war crimes, particularly in a war that was never authorised by Congress. "To the members of our military: remember, you do not have to follow illegal orders," he wrote on X. No sitting Republicans have indicated they support any measure to disobey or to dethrone Trump, but former Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene wrote on X: "25TH AMENDMENT!!! Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization. This is evil and madness." How does the 25th Amendment work? The 25th Amendment addresses the overall process for the transfer of power within the executive branch. While the removal measure has not been invoked before, past presidents have only officially transferred power to the vice president for brief periods, specifically while undergoing medical procedures under general anaesthesia. The first step to force Trump out of office requires Vice President JD Vance and Trump's cabinet - or the vice president and the majority of an "other body" created by Congress - to agree that the president is mentally or physically incapable of carrying out his duties. They would then put that decision in writing to the Speaker of the House, as well as the president pro tempore of the Senate - the second-highest-ranking lawmaker in the upper chamber, who presides over Senate votes when the vice president is absent. As soon as that declaration is submitted, Vance would assume the powers of the presidency. Trump would then be able to submit his own declaration to Congress, insisting that he is fully capable of carrying out presidential duties. At that point, he would become president again. Vance and the cabinet would then have four days to submit their appeal, at which point lawmakers would convene to discuss the matter. A two-thirds majority is required in each of the upper (Senate) and lower (House) chambers to declare the president removed from office, and the vice president then becomes the acting president until the next election. Without the two-thirds majority, Trump can maintain his office. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
US lawmakers call to remove Trump after 'civilization will die' threat against Iran
US lawmakers call to remove Trump after 'civilization will die' threat against Iran Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 04/07/2026 - 18:52 The 25th amendment allows for the ousting of a mentally or physically incapacitated president US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the briefing room at the White House in Washington, DC, on 6 April 2026 (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters) Off A slew of Democratic lawmakers are calling for US President Donald Trump to be removed from office via the 25th Amendment - a process by which the vice president and the cabinet assess him as unfit to continue his duties. The statements come as Trump ramps up his stunning rhetoric against Iran, most recently on Tuesday, warning that "a whole civilization will die tonight" if Tehran doesn't agree to a deal with Washington to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as well as stop its nuclear enrichment and missile production. Trump is vowing to "obliterate" Iran's critical infrastructure, which could include its energy, communications, and water systems, if it doesn't agree to his preconditions for a deal by 8 pm local time in Washington on Tuesday. Iran's leaders have said the conditions are non-starters, and are pushing for a complete end to US and Israeli hostilities in the region, as well as compensation for the destruction that has been inflicted. The war is now in its seventh week. Who are the lawmakers? As of Tuesday afternoon in Washington, DC, at least 30 sitting members of Congress have explicitly called for the president to be removed from office. "If the United States Congress has any life left in it, every member of Congress and senator must be calling for Trump's removal today, based on the 25th amendment," California Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna said in a video posted to X on Tuesday. Trump tells Iran: 'A whole civilization will die tonight' Read More » "He is threatening the entire destruction of a civilisation. He is calling Iranians 'animals'. He is showing a total disregard for the humanity of people in Iran, in Gaza, in Cuba. This is a moral crime. It is a war crime. We need to be demanding that Congress convene today, and we need to be invoking the 25th amendment." Trump brushed off any concerns to reporters on Monday about his actions potentially constituting war crimes in Iran, given that civilians rely on critical infrastructure for their basic needs. Colorado Democratic Congresswoman Diana DeGette said lawmakers should begin impeachment proceedings against Trump if his cabinet does not act. "Donald Trump is openly threatening war crimes against the entirety of Iranian civilization. 25th Amendment proceedings must begin immediately, but if the Cabinet is too cowardly, the House should begin the impeachment process," she wrote on X. Illinois Democratic Congresswoman Delia Ramirez echoed that sentiment, adding that Trump is "a warmonger, escalating the conflict for his own profit and consolidation of power". An effort to impeach the president was already initiated on 10 December by Texas Democratic Congressman Al Green. It has two co-sponsors but has failed to gain traction, particularly because both chambers of Congress are majority Republican, and Trump would be acquitted at his Senate trial. Should November's midterm elections change the balance of power, it is likely that Trump may be impeached a third time. The first was in 2018, and then again in 2021. Arizona Democratic Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, herself of Iranian origin, announced on Monday she would bring forward articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth - one of the most vocal proponents of the war. "Trump is escalating a devastating, illegal war, threatening massive war crimes and targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran...the rhetoric has crossed every line. Pete Hegseth is complicit," she wrote on X. "It's clear he's unfit to be president," Michigan Democratic Congressman Shri Thanedar wrote on X. "If Vance, Rubio & the others continue to be spineless cowards, Congress must do everything possible to stop Trump & this war." Fellow Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib called Trump a "maniac" who "should be removed from office". "After bombing a school and massacring young girls, the war criminal in the White House is threatening genocide. It's time to invoke the 25th Amendment," she wrote on X. Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar - a frequent target of the president's anti-Somali sentiments - called him an "unhinged lunatic". "Impeach. Remove," she wrote on X. 'They're animals': Trump doubles down on threat to destroy Iran's critical infrastructure Read More » Wisconsin Democratic Congressman Mark Pocan said Trump "is too unhinged, dangerous, and deranged to have the nuclear codes!", while California Democratic Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove called Trump's rhetoric "pure evil". "Republicans, if there were ever a time to stand up, it’s now," she wrote on X. "I'm sick to my stomach." "Trump’s genocidal language and indiscriminate warfare cannot be normalized or accepted." Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton also agreed that "this is not normal". "This is not just 'Trump being Trump'. This is an insane man who is unfit for office." Delaware Democratic Congresswoman Sarah McBride suggested Trump has crossed a red line. "In a political career defined by grotesque statements, this president’s horrifying, illegal, and genocidal threat this morning is among the most dangerous and appalling," she wrote on X on Tuesday. "You can’t shout 'fire' in a crowded theater and a president cannot be allowed to threaten genocide with the United States military." Massachusetts Democrat Senator Ed Markey urged US troops not to follow Trump's orders if they could be war crimes, particularly in a war that was never authorised by Congress. "To the members of our military: remember, you do not have to follow illegal orders," he wrote on X. No sitting Republicans have indicated they support any measure to disobey or to dethrone Trump, but former Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene wrote on X: "25TH AMENDMENT!!! Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization. This is evil and madness." How does the 25th Amendment work? The 25th Amendment addresses the overall process for the transfer of power within the executive branch. While the removal measure has not been invoked before, past presidents have only officially transferred power to the vice president for brief periods, specifically while undergoing medical procedures under general anaesthesia. The first step to force Trump out of office requires Vice President JD Vance and Trump's cabinet - or the vice president and the majority of an "other body" created by Congress - to agree that the president is mentally or physically incapable of carrying out his duties. They would then put that decision in writing to the Speaker of the House, as well as the president pro tempore of the Senate - the second-highest-ranking lawmaker in the upper chamber, who presides over Senate votes when the vice president is absent. As soon as that declaration is submitted, Vance would assume the powers of the presidency. Trump would then be able to submit his own declaration to Congress, insisting that he is fully capable of carrying out presidential duties. At that point, he would become president again. Vance and the cabinet would then have four days to submit their appeal, at which point lawmakers would convene to discuss the matter. A two-thirds majority is required in each of the upper (Senate) and lower (House) chambers to declare the president removed from office, and the vice president then becomes the acting president until the next election. Without the two-thirds majority, Trump can maintain his office. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
'Pillar' of Wisconsin Muslim community detained by ICE
'Pillar' of Wisconsin Muslim community detained by ICE Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 04/02/2026 - 19:48 Salah Sarsour, a Palestinian who has been in the US legally for 32 years, was surrounded by 10 agents in his car President of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, Salah Sarsour, as seen in a video posted to his social media account on 27 April 2021 (Salah Sarsour/Facebook/Screengrab) Off A Milwaukee, Wisconsin, grandfather who has been hailed a "pillar" of the city's Muslim community was revealed to have been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday, despite possessing legal permanent residency in the US, his advocates said. Salah Sarsour, who is president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, has been lawfully present in the US for more than three decades, the mosque said in a statement posted alongside a fundraiser for his legal defence. "He is a father, a grandfather, a dear husband, and a kind and principled role model for countless people in Milwaukee and beyond." The Muslim Legal Fund of America has taken up Sarsour's case, and said on Wednesday that "the government appears to be using the immigration system to target individuals for protected speech related to Palestine and Palestinians". Sarsour's vehicle was surrounded by 10 federal agents before his arrest, the Council on American Islamic Relations said, "with no cause". Sarsour was then quickly moved out of state to Illinois before being transferred again to Indiana - a practice often employed by ICE to proceed with their cases in a more favourable jurisdiction to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Middle East Eye has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and received a response from ICE's public affairs division saying it is "working" on the Sarsour case and "will respond as soon as possible". Reaction The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which says it has assumed a supporting role to Sarsour's legal team, told MEE on Thursday that "it's hard to think of any other reason why this would have happened" other than his race and religion. "We're at a point where we are witnessing the biggest threat to our freedom of speech and expression, and unfortunately, many Americans are falling asleep while it's happening. There needs to be more attention brought to this and more of a response from the general public," Abed Ayoub, ADC's national executive director, told MEE. Officials at all levels of government in Wisconsin have come to Sarsour's defence. "This is completely unacceptable," Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Moore wrote on Facebook on Thursday. "Salah Sarsour is a respected leader in the Milwaukee community, and his detention raises serious concerns about the continued targeting of lawful residents based on the color of their skin or their political beliefs." Leqaa Kordia, longest-detained pro-Palestine protester, freed from ICE custody Read More » "I will do everything in my power to bring Salah Sarsour home to his family and community," she added. Democratic State Senator Chris Larson demanded that the federal government reveal what its case is against Sarsour. "Our increasingly fascist federal government has not released any information as to why he was taken into custody or what he is being charged with. What we do know is that Salah is Palestinian-American and is a vocal advocate for a free and independent Palestinian state," Larson wrote on Facebook. "No one in America is free if due process and free speech are no longer protected." The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors said in a statement that the Trump administration "is trying to divide and terrorize us". "It will not work. Courts have ruled these abhorrent tactics unlawful again and again, and history will judge harshly anyone who participates in or defends them." Sarsour's "Master Calendar Hearing", which is the first phase of removal proceedings in US immigration court, is set for 13 April in Chicago, Illinois. US Muslims News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
US has ‘no plan’ for Iran war and Strait of Hormuz, senators say after briefing
US has ‘no plan’ for Iran war and Strait of Hormuz, senators say after briefing Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Wed, 03/11/2026 - 12:40 Following behind closed doors briefing from Trump administration officials, Democratic senators condemn 'complete incoherence' Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks to reporters on the day of classified briefings for the Senate Armed Services Committee on Operation Epic Fury and the situation in Iran, 10 March 2026 (Kylie Cooper/Reuters) Off Democratic senators said on Tuesday night that the US has “no plan” for the war on Iran, after President Donald Trump’s administration conducted a two-hour behind-closed-doors briefing for the Senate Armed Services Committee. This absence of any coordinated strategic thinking extends to the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy chokepoint, regime change in Iran and the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme. Following the Trump administration’s briefing on Tuesday, a procession of opposition senators came out to condemn what they described as the illegality, incoherence and lies surrounding the war, with Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland saying Trump was simply doing what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had wanted to do for 40 years. “What you hear behind closed doors is essentially what we’re hearing in the public domain, which is complete incoherence,” Van Hollen said after the briefing. “But we do know, from Secretary Rubio, that Netanyahu decided to strike Iran, and so here we are doing what Prime Minister Netanyahu said he wanted to do for 40 years, which was to attack Iran,” Van Hollen said, referring to remarks made by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, on 2 March. “It is so much worse than you thought,” said Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator. “The Trump administration has no plan in Iran. This illegal war is based on lies and it was launched without any imminent threat to our nation. Trump has not given a single clear reason for the war and has no plan to end it.” No regime change, no Strait of Hormuz plan The senators who spoke out after the US briefing all condemned the apparent lack of any plan or any real objectives when it came to every area of the war on Iran. Both Van Hollen and Chris Murphy, a senator from Connecticut, said that they’d been told in the briefing that the US administration’s goals for the war did not involve destroying Iran’s nuclear programme or bringing about regime change. 'And on the Strait of Hormuz, they had NO PLAN... they don’t know how to get it safely back open' - Senator Chris Murphy “So, they are going to spend hundreds of billions of your taxpayer dollars, get a whole bunch of Americans killed, and a hardline regime – probably a more anti-American hardline regime – will still be in charge,” Murphy said. Van Hollen echoed this, referring to public reporting on the CIA’s assessment of what would happen if the Iranian leadership was taken out, which is that “you’re likely to get an even more radical group”. The goals of the war, Murphy said, seemed to be “destroying lots of missiles and boats and drone factories”. Asked what would happen when Iran restarted production on these things, Murphy said that US officials “hinted at more bombing. Which is, of course, endless war”. “And on the Strait of Hormuz, they had NO PLAN,” Murphy posted on X. “I can’t go into more detail about how Iran gums up the Strait, but suffice to say, right now, they don’t know how to get it safely back open.” This, Murphy said, “is unforgivable, because this part of the disaster was 100 percent foreseeable”. Trump follows Netanyahu Earlier this week, Trump said that he believed Iran was going to attack the US based not on intelligence briefings, but on what he had been told by his advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is also his son-in-law. In his remarks following the behind-closed-doors briefing, Van Hollen said that before the arrival of Trump in the White House, "Netanyahu had not found a president stupid enough to drag the US" into war with Iran. "And now Donald Trump has done it, and they don’t have a clue as to what the endgame is,” Van Hollen said. 'Netanyahu has been trying to co-opt and manipulate Trump into a major war for the last year' - Alon Pinkas, former Israeli diplomat These comments chime with those of Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat and adviser to four foreign ministers, who told MEE that Israel had led the US into the war on Iran. “This has been Netanyahu’s fantasy for a long time,” Pinkas said. “He has political reasons and pretexts: changing the narrative of the 7 October catastrophe and deflecting attention from his trial and the upcoming election. “Netanyahu has been trying to co-opt and manipulate Trump into a major war for the last year,” Pinkas said. “And Trump has his own wag-the-dog issues here: Epstein, his own polls, the Supreme Court.” Van Hollen also said there had been “no explanation for why Donald Trump broke his promise to the country when he said he wasn’t going to drag us into additional wars, and constantly shifting narratives about what this is all about.” Trump’s decision to go to war has caused a rift in his Maga base, with some – including influential media personality Tucker Carlson – seeing the US willingness to wage Israel’s war as a betrayal of the “America First” doctrine. Inside the administration, Kushner, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Senator Lindsey Graham have taken a gung-ho approach to the war, while Rubio is seen as being more focused on Cuba and Latin America. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
US has ‘no plan’ for Iran war and Strait of Hormuz, senators say after briefing
US has ‘no plan’ for Iran war and Strait of Hormuz, senators say after briefing Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Wed, 03/11/2026 - 12:40 Following behind closed doors briefing from Trump administration officials, Democratic senators condemn 'complete incoherence' Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks to reporters on the day of classified briefings for the Senate Armed Services Committee on Operation Epic Fury and the situation in Iran, 10 March 2026 (Kylie Cooper/Reuters) Off Democratic senators said on Tuesday night that the US has “no plan” for the war on Iran, after President Donald Trump’s administration conducted a two-hour behind-closed-doors briefing for the Senate Armed Services Committee. This absence of any coordinated strategic thinking extends to the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy chokepoint, regime change in Iran and the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme. Following the Trump administration’s briefing on Tuesday, a procession of opposition senators came out to condemn what they described as the illegality, incoherence and lies surrounding the war, with Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland saying Trump was simply doing what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had wanted to do for 40 years. “What you hear behind closed doors is essentially what we’re hearing in the public domain, which is complete incoherence,” Van Hollen said after the briefing. “But we do know, from Secretary Rubio, that Netanyahu decided to strike Iran, and so here we are doing what Prime Minister Netanyahu said he wanted to do for 40 years, which was to attack Iran,” Van Hollen said, referring to remarks made by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, on 2 March. “It is so much worse than you thought,” said Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator. “The Trump administration has no plan in Iran. This illegal war is based on lies and it was launched without any imminent threat to our nation. Trump has not given a single clear reason for the war and has no plan to end it.” No regime change, no Strait of Hormuz plan The senators who spoke out after the US briefing all condemned the apparent lack of any plan or any real objectives when it came to every area of the war on Iran. Both Van Hollen and Chris Murphy, a senator from Connecticut, said that they’d been told in the briefing that the US administration’s goals for the war did not involve destroying Iran’s nuclear programme or bringing about regime change. 'And on the Strait of Hormuz, they had NO PLAN... they don’t know how to get it safely back open' - Senator Chris Murphy “So, they are going to spend hundreds of billions of your taxpayer dollars, get a whole bunch of Americans killed, and a hardline regime – probably a more anti-American hardline regime – will still be in charge,” Murphy said. Van Hollen echoed this, referring to public reporting on the CIA’s assessment of what would happen if the Iranian leadership was taken out, which is that “you’re likely to get an even more radical group”. The goals of the war, Murphy said, seemed to be “destroying lots of missiles and boats and drone factories”. Asked what would happen when Iran restarted production on these things, Murphy said that US officials “hinted at more bombing. Which is, of course, endless war”. “And on the Strait of Hormuz, they had NO PLAN,” Murphy posted on X. “I can’t go into more detail about how Iran gums up the Strait, but suffice to say, right now, they don’t know how to get it safely back open.” This, Murphy said, “is unforgivable, because this part of the disaster was 100 percent foreseeable”. Trump follows Netanyahu Earlier this week, Trump said that he believed Iran was going to attack the US based not on intelligence briefings, but on what he had been told by his advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is also his son-in-law. In his remarks following the behind-closed-doors briefing, Van Hollen said that before the arrival of Trump in the White House, "Netanyahu had not found a president stupid enough to drag the US" into war with Iran. "And now Donald Trump has done it, and they don’t have a clue as to what the endgame is,” Van Hollen said. 'Netanyahu has been trying to co-opt and manipulate Trump into a major war for the last year' - Alon Pinkas, former Israeli diplomat These comments chime with those of Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat and adviser to four foreign ministers, who told MEE that Israel had led the US into the war on Iran. “This has been Netanyahu’s fantasy for a long time,” Pinkas said. “He has political reasons and pretexts: changing the narrative of the 7 October catastrophe and deflecting attention from his trial and the upcoming election. “Netanyahu has been trying to co-opt and manipulate Trump into a major war for the last year,” Pinkas said. “And Trump has his own wag-the-dog issues here: Epstein, his own polls, the Supreme Court.” Van Hollen also said there had been “no explanation for why Donald Trump broke his promise to the country when he said he wasn’t going to drag us into additional wars, and constantly shifting narratives about what this is all about.” Trump’s decision to go to war has caused a rift in his Maga base, with some – including influential media personality Tucker Carlson – seeing the US willingness to wage Israel’s war as a betrayal of the “America First” doctrine. Inside the administration, Kushner, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Senator Lindsey Graham have taken a gung-ho approach to the war, while Rubio is seen as being more focused on Cuba and Latin America. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
US has ‘no plan’ for Iran war and Strait of Hormuz, senators say after briefing
US has ‘no plan’ for Iran war and Strait of Hormuz, senators say after briefing Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Wed, 03/11/2026 - 12:40 Following behind closed doors briefing from Trump administration officials, Democratic senators condemn 'complete incoherence' Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks to reporters on the day of classified briefings for the Senate Armed Services Committee on Operation Epic Fury and the situation in Iran, 10 March 2026 (Kylie Cooper/Reuters) Off Democratic senators said on Tuesday night that the US has “no plan” for the war on Iran, after President Donald Trump’s administration conducted a two-hour behind-closed-doors briefing for the Senate Armed Services Committee. This absence of any coordinated strategic thinking extends to the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy chokepoint, regime change in Iran and the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme. Following the Trump administration’s briefing on Tuesday, a procession of opposition senators came out to condemn what they described as the illegality, incoherence and lies surrounding the war, with Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland saying Trump was simply doing what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had wanted to do for 40 years. “What you hear behind closed doors is essentially what we’re hearing in the public domain, which is complete incoherence,” Van Hollen said after the briefing. “But we do know, from Secretary Rubio, that Netanyahu decided to strike Iran, and so here we are doing what Prime Minister Netanyahu said he wanted to do for 40 years, which was to attack Iran,” Van Hollen said, referring to remarks made by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, on 2 March. “It is so much worse than you thought,” said Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator. “The Trump administration has no plan in Iran. This illegal war is based on lies and it was launched without any imminent threat to our nation. Trump has not given a single clear reason for the war and has no plan to end it.” No regime change, no Strait of Hormuz plan The senators who spoke out after the US briefing all condemned the apparent lack of any plan or any real objectives when it came to every area of the war on Iran. Both Van Hollen and Chris Murphy, a senator from Connecticut, said that they’d been told in the briefing that the US administration’s goals for the war did not involve destroying Iran’s nuclear programme or bringing about regime change. 'And on the Strait of Hormuz, they had NO PLAN... they don’t know how to get it safely back open' - Senator Chris Murphy “So, they are going to spend hundreds of billions of your taxpayer dollars, get a whole bunch of Americans killed, and a hardline regime – probably a more anti-American hardline regime – will still be in charge,” Murphy said. Van Hollen echoed this, referring to public reporting on the CIA’s assessment of what would happen if the Iranian leadership was taken out, which is that “you’re likely to get an even more radical group”. The goals of the war, Murphy said, seemed to be “destroying lots of missiles and boats and drone factories”. Asked what would happen when Iran restarted production on these things, Murphy said that US officials “hinted at more bombing. Which is, of course, endless war”. “And on the Strait of Hormuz, they had NO PLAN,” Murphy posted on X. “I can’t go into more detail about how Iran gums up the Strait, but suffice to say, right now, they don’t know how to get it safely back open.” This, Murphy said, “is unforgivable, because this part of the disaster was 100 percent foreseeable”. Trump follows Netanyahu Earlier this week, Trump said that he believed Iran was going to attack the US based not on intelligence briefings, but on what he had been told by his advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is also his son-in-law. In his remarks following the behind-closed-doors briefing, Van Hollen said that before the arrival of Trump in the White House, "Netanyahu had not found a president stupid enough to drag the US" into war with Iran. "And now Donald Trump has done it, and they don’t have a clue as to what the endgame is,” Van Hollen said. 'Netanyahu has been trying to co-opt and manipulate Trump into a major war for the last year' - Alon Pinkas, former Israeli diplomat These comments chime with those of Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat and adviser to four foreign ministers, who told MEE that Israel had led the US into the war on Iran. “This has been Netanyahu’s fantasy for a long time,” Pinkas said. “He has political reasons and pretexts: changing the narrative of the 7 October catastrophe and deflecting attention from his trial and the upcoming election. “Netanyahu has been trying to co-opt and manipulate Trump into a major war for the last year,” Pinkas said. “And Trump has his own wag-the-dog issues here: Epstein, his own polls, the Supreme Court.” Van Hollen also said there had been “no explanation for why Donald Trump broke his promise to the country when he said he wasn’t going to drag us into additional wars, and constantly shifting narratives about what this is all about.” Trump’s decision to go to war has caused a rift in his Maga base, with some – including influential media personality Tucker Carlson – seeing the US willingness to wage Israel’s war as a betrayal of the “America First” doctrine. Inside the administration, Kushner, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Senator Lindsey Graham have taken a gung-ho approach to the war, while Rubio is seen as being more focused on Cuba and Latin America. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
US has ‘no plan’ for Iran war and Strait of Hormuz, senators say after briefing
US has ‘no plan’ for Iran war and Strait of Hormuz, senators say after briefing Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Wed, 03/11/2026 - 12:40 Following behind closed doors briefing from Trump administration officials, Democratic senators condemn 'complete incoherence' Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks to reporters on the day of classified briefings for the Senate Armed Services Committee on Operation Epic Fury and the situation in Iran, 10 March 2026 (Kylie Cooper/Reuters) Off Democratic senators said on Tuesday night that the US has “no plan” for the war on Iran, after President Donald Trump’s administration conducted a two-hour behind-closed-doors briefing for the Senate Armed Services Committee. This absence of any coordinated strategic thinking extends to the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy chokepoint, regime change in Iran and the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme. Following the Trump administration’s briefing on Tuesday, a procession of opposition senators came out to condemn what they described as the illegality, incoherence and lies surrounding the war, with Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland saying Trump was simply doing what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had wanted to do for 40 years. “What you hear behind closed doors is essentially what we’re hearing in the public domain, which is complete incoherence,” Van Hollen said after the briefing. “But we do know, from Secretary Rubio, that Netanyahu decided to strike Iran, and so here we are doing what Prime Minister Netanyahu said he wanted to do for 40 years, which was to attack Iran,” Van Hollen said, referring to remarks made by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, on 2 March. “It is so much worse than you thought,” said Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator. “The Trump administration has no plan in Iran. This illegal war is based on lies and it was launched without any imminent threat to our nation. Trump has not given a single clear reason for the war and has no plan to end it.” No regime change, no Strait of Hormuz plan The senators who spoke out after the US briefing all condemned the apparent lack of any plan or any real objectives when it came to every area of the war on Iran. Both Van Hollen and Chris Murphy, a senator from Connecticut, said that they’d been told in the briefing that the US administration’s goals for the war did not involve destroying Iran’s nuclear programme or bringing about regime change. 'And on the Strait of Hormuz, they had NO PLAN... they don’t know how to get it safely back open' - Senator Chris Murphy “So, they are going to spend hundreds of billions of your taxpayer dollars, get a whole bunch of Americans killed, and a hardline regime – probably a more anti-American hardline regime – will still be in charge,” Murphy said. Van Hollen echoed this, referring to public reporting on the CIA’s assessment of what would happen if the Iranian leadership was taken out, which is that “you’re likely to get an even more radical group”. The goals of the war, Murphy said, seemed to be “destroying lots of missiles and boats and drone factories”. Asked what would happen when Iran restarted production on these things, Murphy said that US officials “hinted at more bombing. Which is, of course, endless war”. “And on the Strait of Hormuz, they had NO PLAN,” Murphy posted on X. “I can’t go into more detail about how Iran gums up the Strait, but suffice to say, right now, they don’t know how to get it safely back open.” This, Murphy said, “is unforgivable, because this part of the disaster was 100 percent foreseeable”. Trump follows Netanyahu Earlier this week, Trump said that he believed Iran was going to attack the US based not on intelligence briefings, but on what he had been told by his advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is also his son-in-law. In his remarks following the behind-closed-doors briefing, Van Hollen said that before the arrival of Trump in the White House, "Netanyahu had not found a president stupid enough to drag the US" into war with Iran. "And now Donald Trump has done it, and they don’t have a clue as to what the endgame is,” Van Hollen said. 'Netanyahu has been trying to co-opt and manipulate Trump into a major war for the last year' - Alon Pinkas, former Israeli diplomat These comments chime with those of Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat and adviser to four foreign ministers, who told MEE that Israel had led the US into the war on Iran. “This has been Netanyahu’s fantasy for a long time,” Pinkas said. “He has political reasons and pretexts: changing the narrative of the 7 October catastrophe and deflecting attention from his trial and the upcoming election. “Netanyahu has been trying to co-opt and manipulate Trump into a major war for the last year,” Pinkas said. “And Trump has his own wag-the-dog issues here: Epstein, his own polls, the Supreme Court.” Van Hollen also said there had been “no explanation for why Donald Trump broke his promise to the country when he said he wasn’t going to drag us into additional wars, and constantly shifting narratives about what this is all about.” Trump’s decision to go to war has caused a rift in his Maga base, with some – including influential media personality Tucker Carlson – seeing the US willingness to wage Israel’s war as a betrayal of the “America First” doctrine. Inside the administration, Kushner, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Senator Lindsey Graham have taken a gung-ho approach to the war, while Rubio is seen as being more focused on Cuba and Latin America. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
US has ‘no plan’ for Iran war and Strait of Hormuz, senators say after briefing
US has ‘no plan’ for Iran war and Strait of Hormuz, senators say after briefing Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Wed, 03/11/2026 - 12:40 Following behind closed doors briefing from Trump administration officials, Democratic senators condemn 'complete incoherence' Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks to reporters on the day of classified briefings for the Senate Armed Services Committee on Operation Epic Fury and the situation in Iran, 10 March 2026 (Kylie Cooper/Reuters) Off Democratic senators said on Tuesday night that the US has “no plan” for the war on Iran, after President Donald Trump’s administration conducted a two-hour behind-closed-doors briefing for the Senate Armed Services Committee. This absence of any coordinated strategic thinking extends to the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy chokepoint, regime change in Iran and the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme. Following the Trump administration’s briefing on Tuesday, a procession of opposition senators came out to condemn what they described as the illegality, incoherence and lies surrounding the war, with Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland saying Trump was simply doing what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had wanted to do for 40 years. “What you hear behind closed doors is essentially what we’re hearing in the public domain, which is complete incoherence,” Van Hollen said after the briefing. “But we do know, from Secretary Rubio, that Netanyahu decided to strike Iran, and so here we are doing what Prime Minister Netanyahu said he wanted to do for 40 years, which was to attack Iran,” Van Hollen said, referring to remarks made by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, on 2 March. “It is so much worse than you thought,” said Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator. “The Trump administration has no plan in Iran. This illegal war is based on lies and it was launched without any imminent threat to our nation. Trump has not given a single clear reason for the war and has no plan to end it.” No regime change, no Strait of Hormuz plan The senators who spoke out after the US briefing all condemned the apparent lack of any plan or any real objectives when it came to every area of the war on Iran. Both Van Hollen and Chris Murphy, a senator from Connecticut, said that they’d been told in the briefing that the US administration’s goals for the war did not involve destroying Iran’s nuclear programme or bringing about regime change. 'And on the Strait of Hormuz, they had NO PLAN... they don’t know how to get it safely back open' - Senator Chris Murphy “So, they are going to spend hundreds of billions of your taxpayer dollars, get a whole bunch of Americans killed, and a hardline regime – probably a more anti-American hardline regime – will still be in charge,” Murphy said. Van Hollen echoed this, referring to public reporting on the CIA’s assessment of what would happen if the Iranian leadership was taken out, which is that “you’re likely to get an even more radical group”. The goals of the war, Murphy said, seemed to be “destroying lots of missiles and boats and drone factories”. Asked what would happen when Iran restarted production on these things, Murphy said that US officials “hinted at more bombing. Which is, of course, endless war”. “And on the Strait of Hormuz, they had NO PLAN,” Murphy posted on X. “I can’t go into more detail about how Iran gums up the Strait, but suffice to say, right now, they don’t know how to get it safely back open.” This, Murphy said, “is unforgivable, because this part of the disaster was 100 percent foreseeable”. Trump follows Netanyahu Earlier this week, Trump said that he believed Iran was going to attack the US based not on intelligence briefings, but on what he had been told by his advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is also his son-in-law. In his remarks following the behind-closed-doors briefing, Van Hollen said that before the arrival of Trump in the White House, "Netanyahu had not found a president stupid enough to drag the US" into war with Iran. "And now Donald Trump has done it, and they don’t have a clue as to what the endgame is,” Van Hollen said. 'Netanyahu has been trying to co-opt and manipulate Trump into a major war for the last year' - Alon Pinkas, former Israeli diplomat These comments chime with those of Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat and adviser to four foreign ministers, who told MEE that Israel had led the US into the war on Iran. “This has been Netanyahu’s fantasy for a long time,” Pinkas said. “He has political reasons and pretexts: changing the narrative of the 7 October catastrophe and deflecting attention from his trial and the upcoming election. “Netanyahu has been trying to co-opt and manipulate Trump into a major war for the last year,” Pinkas said. “And Trump has his own wag-the-dog issues here: Epstein, his own polls, the Supreme Court.” Van Hollen also said there had been “no explanation for why Donald Trump broke his promise to the country when he said he wasn’t going to drag us into additional wars, and constantly shifting narratives about what this is all about.” Trump’s decision to go to war has caused a rift in his Maga base, with some – including influential media personality Tucker Carlson – seeing the US willingness to wage Israel’s war as a betrayal of the “America First” doctrine. Inside the administration, Kushner, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Senator Lindsey Graham have taken a gung-ho approach to the war, while Rubio is seen as being more focused on Cuba and Latin America. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
Democratic senator says Trump on 'path toward deploying' US troops in Iran
Democratic senator says Trump on 'path toward deploying' US troops in Iran Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Tue, 03/10/2026 - 19:50 Richard Blumenthal spoke to reporters after a closed briefing provided to the Senate Armed Services Committee Democratic Senator from Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal, speaks to reporters after a classified briefing on the US-Israeli war on Iran, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on 10 March 2026 (Kylie Cooper/Reuters) Off Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal on Tuesday told reporters he believes the Trump administration is "on a path toward deploying American troops on the ground in Iran". Blumenthal was speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill after emerging from a classified briefing for members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. This comes as the Reuters news agency, citing unnamed sources, reported on Tuesday that at least 150 US troops have been wounded in the US-Israeli war on Iran thus far. Eight others have been confirmed killed in the Gulf. Blumenthal's comments may be the clearest indication yet as to what US President Donald Trump is contemplating doing next in the war on Iran, given Trump himself hasn't even provided the public with a clear rationale for the military action dubbed "Operation Epic Fury". Democrats have blasted the president for not seeking congressional authorisation for the war, which, in theory, is within their purview, and for not being able to articulate exactly what he wants to accomplish, given he has criticised past wars and regime-change operations by the US in the Middle East. "I emerge from this briefing as dissatisfied and angry, frankly, as I have from any past briefing in my 15 years in the Senate," Blumenthal said. "I am most concerned about the threat to American lives of potentially deploying our sons and daughters on the ground in Iran. We seem to be on a path toward deploying American troops," he added. Blumenthal also accused Russia and China of aiding Iran in the war. "Literally, Russia seems to be aiding our enemy. Actively and intensively. With intelligence and perhaps with other means. And China may also be assisting Iran." Mixed messaging Asked to respond to Blumenthal's comments at her White House briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Democratic lawmakers "are clearly being quite disingenuous". "I wouldn't take Democrats at their word as for boots on the ground. The president has talked about this repeatedly. Wisely, he does not rule options out as commander-in-chief," she added. Democrats demand investigation of claims US-Israeli war on Iran is biblical prophecy Read More » Leavitt was also asked about Trump's insistence on choosing the next leader in Iran, and how that would not be considered an act of regime change. Last week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told reporters that the war is categorically not a regime-change operation, but that it may inadvertently cause a change in regime. "It's obviously within the best interest of the United States and the West to no longer have a radical terrorist in charge of Iran," Leavitt said. "We have objectives that we have laid out that the commander-in-chief wants to see achieved. When they are achieved, they will ultimately be up to the president to end this operation." When pressed as to what the objectives are, Leavitt said it was to prevent Iran from ever acquiring "a nuclear bomb to threaten the United States". According to mediator Oman, US negotiations with Iran last month on Tehran’s nuclear programme were nearing an agreement that all parties could have found acceptable. However, it is now being reported that Trump's negotiating team, made up of peace envoy and real estate mogul Steve Witkoff, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has no formal role within the US government, did not have the necessary technical expertise to understand that Iran had made significant concessions in the talks. War on Iran Washington News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
Democratic senator says Trump on 'path toward deploying' US troops in Iran
Democratic senator says Trump on 'path toward deploying' US troops in Iran Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Tue, 03/10/2026 - 19:50 Richard Blumenthal spoke to reporters after a closed briefing provided to the Senate Armed Services Committee Democratic Senator from Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal, speaks to reporters after a classified briefing on the US-Israeli war on Iran, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on 10 March 2026 (Kylie Cooper/Reuters) Off Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal on Tuesday told reporters he believes the Trump administration is "on a path toward deploying American troops on the ground in Iran". Blumenthal was speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill after emerging from a classified briefing for members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. This comes as the Reuters news agency, citing unnamed sources, reported on Tuesday that at least 150 US troops have been wounded in the US-Israeli war on Iran thus far. Eight others have been confirmed killed in the Gulf. Blumenthal's comments may be the clearest indication yet as to what US President Donald Trump is contemplating doing next in the war on Iran, given Trump himself hasn't even provided the public with a clear rationale for the military action dubbed "Operation Epic Fury". Democrats have blasted the president for not seeking congressional authorisation for the war, which, in theory, is within their purview, and for not being able to articulate exactly what he wants to accomplish, given he has criticised past wars and regime-change operations by the US in the Middle East. "I emerge from this briefing as dissatisfied and angry, frankly, as I have from any past briefing in my 15 years in the Senate," Blumenthal said. "I am most concerned about the threat to American lives of potentially deploying our sons and daughters on the ground in Iran. We seem to be on a path toward deploying American troops," he added. Blumenthal also accused Russia and China of aiding Iran in the war. "Literally, Russia seems to be aiding our enemy. Actively and intensively. With intelligence and perhaps with other means. And China may also be assisting Iran." Mixed messaging Asked to respond to Blumenthal's comments at her White House briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Democratic lawmakers "are clearly being quite disingenuous". "I wouldn't take Democrats at their word as for boots on the ground. The president has talked about this repeatedly. Wisely, he does not rule options out as commander-in-chief," she added. Democrats demand investigation of claims US-Israeli war on Iran is biblical prophecy Read More » Leavitt was also asked about Trump's insistence on choosing the next leader in Iran, and how that would not be considered an act of regime change. Last week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told reporters that the war is categorically not a regime-change operation, but that it may inadvertently cause a change in regime. "It's obviously within the best interest of the United States and the West to no longer have a radical terrorist in charge of Iran," Leavitt said. "We have objectives that we have laid out that the commander-in-chief wants to see achieved. When they are achieved, they will ultimately be up to the president to end this operation." When pressed as to what the objectives are, Leavitt said it was to prevent Iran from ever acquiring "a nuclear bomb to threaten the United States". According to mediator Oman, US negotiations with Iran last month on Tehran’s nuclear programme were nearing an agreement that all parties could have found acceptable. However, it is now being reported that Trump's negotiating team, made up of peace envoy and real estate mogul Steve Witkoff, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has no formal role within the US government, did not have the necessary technical expertise to understand that Iran had made significant concessions in the talks. War on Iran Washington News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0