US Democrats Sharply Criticize Trump After Further Soldier Deaths in Iran War

Just on Friday, the US military had for the first time since the early days of the Iran War reported fallen from Iranian fire. At that time, US soldiers and allies were killed while repelling Iranian missile and drone attacks in Jordan. With the new incidents, the number of known US fatalities continues to rise.

Democratic Senator Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized Trump's conduct of the war in stark terms. He could clearly state that "no imminent threat from Iran existed," Warner emphasized in an interview with CBS News. He also pointed to the high number of wounded: "We have literally hundreds of seriously wounded." Warner accused Trump of having started the war without a plan.

Warner Accuses Trump of War Without a Plan

By virtue of his position, Warner belongs to the small circle of senior congressional figures known as the "Gang of Eight," to which the US government can restrict intelligence briefings in certain situations. It is remarkable, Warner said, that the United States did not have even more dead to mourn. He summed up his criticism with the words that this is what happens "when you start a war of your own choosing."

Representative Nikki Budzinski also spoke out sharply on X: "This is the price of President Trump's unnecessary war." Another Democrat wrote only on the platform: "Enough is enough." Party-internal criticism of the war thus spread beyond the Senate to the House of Representatives.

Trump Defends Military Operation

President Trump defended the war in a telephone interview with the tabloid New York Post. He described the soldiers' deaths as a "shame" and stressed that the soldiers had died because they did not want Iran to possess a nuclear weapon. At the same time he asked: "Have you ever wondered how many people died in Vietnam? Have you ever wondered how many people died in a single day in Afghanistan?"

Political Reactions

The debate comes at a time when the US public is increasingly asking questions about the purpose and duration of the military operation. While the Democrats are demanding a change of strategy or an end to the fighting, the White House points to the necessity of preventing an Iranian nuclear bomb. An official statement from the White House on the recent losses and Warner's criticism was not initially available.

CBS News was the first to report on the CBS interview with Warner. Information about the incidents in northern Iraq and Jordan was published by US Central Command via the platform X. The news was broadcast on July 19, 2026, on Deutschlandfunk.