Democrat blasts Trump’s ‘incoherent’ Iran strategy after Pentagon says 140 US service members wounded in operation – live

After the Pentagon confirmed that about 140 US troops have been wounded in the US-Iran war, Democratic National Committee chair, Ken Martin, slammed Donald Trump for failing “to provide Americans with a coherent justification.”

“Ten days into his war of choice in Iran, Trump has failed to provide Americans with a coherent justification, given contradictory timelines that change daily, and has demonstrated little remorse over the human cost of war,” Martin wrote in a statement on Tuesday.

“Meanwhile, the American people are totally in the dark while U.S. troops remain in harm’s way and Americans are stranded in the Middle East because of Trump’s illegal war,” he added.

The minelayers near the strait of Hormuz were among multiple Iranian vessels taken out by US forces today, according to a post by the US Central Command.

In a post on X, the military published unclassified footage of some of the vessels after Donald Trump warned Iran against laying mines in the critical waterway.

The world’s most popular podcaster, Joe Rogan, said Donald Trump’s supporters “feel betrayed” by the conflict in Iran.

“Well, it just seems so insane, based on what he ran on. I mean, this is why a lot of people feel betrayed, right?” Rogan said during an episode launched today. “He ran on, ‘No more wars,’ ‘End these stupid, senseless wars,’ and then we have one that we can’t even really clearly define why we did it.”

Rogan has slowly begun to distance himself from the US president after endorsing him in 2024. Earlier this year, Rogan compared US immigration raids to Gestapo operations during an episode where he and his guest were discussing the death of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old woman who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis..

In an interview with CNBC, Republican senator Ted Cruz said he has “not seen a basis” for President Trump’s decision to ban all federal agencies from using the artificial intelligence model developed by Anthropic after the standoff between the company and the Pentagon.

“I’ll confess, I have not seen a basis laid out for why the government would be prohibited from using Anthropic,” Cruz told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin. “Claude is one of the many AI tools that can be very helpful.”

The Texas lawmaker’s remarks come amid a monthslong feud over Anthropic’s efforts to implement safeguards against the military’s potential use of its artificial intelligence models for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous lethal weapons. Yesterday, the company filed two lawsuits against the department of defense over the Trump administration’s decision to label the AI firm a “supply chain risk.”

Microsoft has filed a legal brief supporting Anthropic in its case against the Trump administration, asking a court to temporarily block the Pentagon from labeling the AI company a supply chain risk.

Anthropic sued the Trump administration on Monday after President Trump ordered federal agencies to stop using the company’s AI products, following the company’s statement that it did not want its models to be used in mass surveillance of Americans or for autonomous lethal weapons.

According to a filing in the US District Court in San Francisco, Microsoft said a judge should issue a restraining order that would block the Pentagon’s designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk.

The restraining order would “enable a more orderly transition and avoid disrupting the American military’s ongoing use of advanced AI,” reads the filing.

The State Department has authorized up to $40m in emergency funds to pay for charter flights evacuating Americans from the Middle East, two US officials told the AP.

The funds come amid transportation disruptions caused by the war with Iran. The department had approved the use of money from a fund normally reserved for emergencies that involve diplomatic and consular staff.

Private Americans are obligated to reimburse the government for such transportation under federal law, but secretary of state Marco Rubio waived that requirement last week.

Donald Trump said that America First Refining plans to open a new oil refinery in Brownsville, Texas, as part of a $300b deal.

“THE BIGGEST IN US HISTORY, A MASSIVE WIN for American Workers, Energy, and the GREAT People of South Texas! Thank you to our partners in India, and their largest privately held Energy Company, Reliance, for this tremendous Investment,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday.

Trump claimed that the new refinery will “strengthen” the US national security, “fuel” the US markets, and deliver “Billions of Dollars in Economic impact.”

Trump also said the oil refinery, which he said is the first new US oil refinery in 50 years, would be the “CLEANEST REFINERY IN THE WORLD,” bringing “THOUSANDS” of new jobs to the area.

Democratic senator Chris Murphy said that, after attending a two-hour classified briefing on the US-Iran war today, the strategy against Iran seems “incoherent” and unlikely “to achieve any of our stated objectives.”

“We have still not yet heard a full explanation as to why this is necessary,” he said in an interview with MS NOW. “This is a disaster of epic proportions. It’s already getting Americans killed. It’s driving up prices here at home.”

Murphy condemned the president for failing to conduct congressional hearings and seek authorization for the war.

“This has just been a debacle, a 10-day debacle, and we’re going to use whatever leverage we have in the Senate to try to prompt those hearings, to try to prompt that vote, and to get this administration to start paying attention to the Constitution,” he said.

Steve Downes, the voice of Halo protagonist Master Chief, said he was neither consulted by the White House nor involved in a promotional video using the character’s voice.

“It has come to my attention that there is at least one propaganda video circulating that was either produced or at the very least endorsed by the White House that uses images of Master Chief and uses my voice to support the war in Iran,” Downes posted on X on Sunday. “Let me make this crystal clear: I did not participate in nor was I consulted, nor do I endorse the use of my voice in this video, or the message it conveys.”

He called the clip, posted 5 March, “disgusting and juvenile war porn.”

The 42-second clip posted by the White House, captioned “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY”, also uses scenes from Iron Man 2, Top Gun: Maverick, Tropic Thunder and other film and TV series.

Ben Stiller, who directed and acted in the film Tropic Thunder, also condemned the White House for using a clip from the film.

“Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip,” Stiller posted on X. “We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.”

Earlier today, Donald Trump referred to Canadian prime minister Mark Carney as the “future Governor of Canada,” a remark similar to his past comments suggesting Canada should become the 51st US state.

“I’m working with Governor Gretchen Whitmer on trying to save The Great Lakes from the rather violent and destructive Asian Carp, which is rapidly taking over Lake Michigan, and all of the beautiful surrounds,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “I’ll be asking other Governors to join into this fight, including those of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, New York and, of course, the future Governor of Canada, Mark Carney, who I know will be happy to contribute to this worthy cause.”

This isn’t the first time the US president has made this joke. He previously referred to Justin Trudeau, Canada’s former prime minister, as a state governor after having warned of tariffs on the country last year.

Senator Elizabeth Warren condemned the Trump administration’s handling of the war with Iran, questioning the administration’s funding priorities.

“Here we are well into the second week, and it is still the case that the Trump administration cannot explain the reasons that we entered this war, the goals we’re trying to accomplish and the methods for doing that,” Warren told reporters on Tuesday. “The one part that seems clear is that while there is no money for 15 million Americans who lost their health care, there’s a billion dollars a day to spend on bombing Iran.”

“I’m very worried about how long this will drag on. We are hearing no logical estimates about when it will be over,” she added. “This is not a war the American people want us to engage in. This is not a war supported by this country, and this is not a war that makes us safer.”

Donald Trump said on Tuesday the US hit “10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships” within the last few hours, according to a post on Truth Social.

“I am pleased to report that within the last few hours, we have hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow!,” he posted.

Donald Trump demanded on Tuesday Iran to remove any mines they might have placed in the strait of Hormuz amid earlier reports that the country had laid a few dozen mines in the passageway.

In a post on Truth Social, the president said the US “had no reports of them doing so,” but said Iran would face military consequences, “at a level never seen before,” if the mines were not to be removed.

Trump’s post comes after earlier reports that Iran began laying mines in the strait, a crucial passageway for global energy supply. According to CNN, a few dozen mines have been laid in recent days.

“If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before,” Trump posted. “If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!”

Trump added that his administration is “using the same Technology and Missile capabilities deployed against Drug Traffickers to permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait. They will be dealt with quickly and violently.”

• The Pentagon confirmed that since the beginning of the US-Israel war on Iran, approximately 140 US service members have been wounded. “The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty,” said Department of Defense spokesperson Sean Parnell.

• During a White House press briefing, Karoline Leavitt said that the recent hike in gas prices since the onset of the war is “temporary” and assured a rapid price drop. The press secretary also noted that the US military is “drawing up additional options” following Donald Trump’s directive to continue keeping the strait of Hormuz open. This comes after Trump’s threat to hit Iran “twenty times harder” if the regime does anything to prevent the flow of oil through the crucial waterway.

• At a Pentagon press conference, defense secretary Pete Hegseth said that Tuesday will be the “most intense day of strikes inside Iran”. He did not give any guidance on when the military action against Iran might end. “We do so on our timeline and at our choosing,” he added. Hegseth also insisted that America is “winning” the war, and assured those watching that military action was not endless. “This is not 2003…It’s not protracted. We’re not allowing mission creep,” he told reporters.

• At the House Republican policy conference in Doral, Florida, speaker Mike Johnson refused to condemn congressman Andy Ogles’ Islamophobic comments on social media. The GOP lawmaker, who represents Tennessee’s fifth congressional district, wrote that “Muslims don’t belong in America” in a post on X this week. Today, reporters pressed Johnson for his response. The speaker said that the “demand to impose Sharia law” is a “real issue” in an attempt to justify Ogles’ comments. “That’s the language that people use, it’s a different language than I would use,” he said.

• In the wake of Donald Trump telling CBS News that the US-Israel war on Iran could end “very soon”, oil prices rebounded on Tuesday. Brent crude has now slipped just below $90 a barrel, down 9.9% to $89.22. This comes after they surged past $100 a barrel on Monday morning, the highest price in four years.

The Pentagon confirmed that since the beginning of the US-Israel war on Iran, approximately 140 US service members have been wounded.

“The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty,” said Sean Parnell, chief spokesperson for the Department of Defense.

“Eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care.”

Earlier, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she couldn’t confirm the exact number of those injured, but knew it was “within that ballpark”.

The United States has asked Israel to halt strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, Axios reports, citing three sources familiar with the matter, marking the first time the US has reined in its ally since they went to war 11 days ago.

Washington sent the message at a senior political level and to IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir, Axios reports, citing an Israeli official.

Per Axios’s report, the Trump administration gave three reasons for the request, including a goal to cooperate with Iran’s oil ‌sector after the war (as Trump has done with Venezuela); fears that the ⁠strikes would harm the ​Iranian public; and concerns that it could trigger ​massive Iranian retaliatory attacks on energy infrastructure across Gulf states.

It comes after an Israeli bombing of fuel storage facilities blanketed Tehran – a city home to some 10 million people – in toxic black smoke and acid rain over the weekend, raising urgent health warnings for ordinary Iranians.

Iran has appealed to to the United Nations to condemn the US and Israel for a “manifest environmental crime”.

During today’s press briefing, Karoline Leavitt said that Donald Trump would ultimately determine when Iran is “in a place of unconditional surrender”.

The press secretary clarified what this state looks like, after the president insisted that only at this point would the military operation be complete. “He’s not claiming the Iranian regime is going to come out and say that themselves,” Leavitt said. “What the president means is that Iran’s threats will no longer be backed by a ballistic missile arsenal that protects them from building a nuclear bomb in their country.”