Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said Tuesday that the Trump administration’s military action in Iran “is a disaster on every front,” pointing to rising fuel prices, mortgage rates and what he described as a lack of any plan to end the conflict.
Warner made the comments during an appearance on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe.” Co-host Jonathan Lemire had asked about what he called the administration’s mixed messaging, noting that President Trump has alternated between threatening to “annihilate” Iran and suggesting negotiations would soon resume and the conflict would end quickly. Lemire said rising prices tied to the conflict suggested the situation had reached “a complete and utter stalemate.”
Warner responded by criticizing the decision to launch what he called “a war of choice without a plan.” He said the stated goal of regime change had backfired.
“They wanted to change the regime. Well, they killed the last guys, but the current guys are worse than before,” Warner said.
Warner said there has been no progress in securing Iran’s enriched uranium, arguing that removing it would require 15,000 ground troops to extract canisters while under Iranian bombardment. He said Iran still retains missiles and drones capable of striking back.
He also criticized the cost of the U.S. response to Iranian drone attacks, saying the country turned down Ukrainian drone-defense technology that could intercept drones for roughly $5,000 each, in favor of a system that costs about $2.5 million per missile.
Turning to the domestic economic impact, Warner cited gas prices of $4.50 a gallon and diesel at $6.40, and said he does not see a scenario in which Iran fails to “extract some kind of toll” on oil and natural gas markets even if the administration declares victory.
“This war is a disaster on every front. The American people know it. It’s driving up inflation… and candidly, I have not heard any plan at all on how to extract ourselves. That’s a disaster,” Warner said.
He also pointed to mortgage rates at 7% as part of the broader economic strain he attributed to the conflict.
