Senator accuses Pentagon of hiding costs of Iran war

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 15:44 · Archive

Democratic senator Chris Murphy says the Pentagon blocked him from a major US base in Qatar and the damage from Iranian strikes on a US embassy in Saudi Arabia was far worse than publicly acknowledged.

Democratic senator Chris Murphy has accused the Pentagon of attempting to conceal the costs and consequences of the Iran war from Congress and the American public. Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat who serves on the Senate foreign relations and appropriations committees, said the Pentagon blocked him from accessing a major US military base in Qatar.

Murphy visited the US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which was struck by Iranian drones on 3 March, days after the US and Israel launched military operations on 28 February. He described the destruction he witnessed as 'extraordinary' and significantly more damaging than public accounts suggest. According to Murphy, the drones hit an area of the embassy where many people work, and part of that space is now uninhabitable and likely to remain so. Saudi Arabia's defense ministry had initially described the damage as minor.

'Had that attack happened during the daytime, there's no doubt that there would have been many, many Americans killed,' Murphy told reporters. He accused Pentagon secretary Pete Hegseth of being 'determined to hide the cost and the consequences of this war from the American public'. The embassy building was empty at the time of the strike, and no injuries were reported.

How it is being reported

• Sen. Murphy accuses Trump administration of "cover-up" over blocked U.S. base accessDemocratic Sen. Chris Murphy says he was blocked from accessing a U.S. base as part of a Trump administration "cover-up" linked to the Iran war. CBS News' Courtney Kealy has more.CBS News · 9 Oct, 15:15
• Democratic senator says Hegseth trying to hide costs of Iran war from US publicChris Murphy says Pentagon blocked him from military base in Qatar and Iran strike on US embassy in Riyadh far worse than public led to believe The US senator Chris Murphy said the Pentagon blocked him from a major US base in Qatar, yet saw enough damage on the US embassy in Saudi Arabia to conclude that an Iranian strike would have been deadly had it happened during the day. The Connecticut Democrat, who sits on the Senate foreign relations and appropriations committees, described the destruction he witnessed in Riyadh as “extraordinary” and much more damaging than the public has been led…Guardian World · 8 Oct, 22:41

In this story: Chris Murphy · Pete Hegseth · Pentagon · United States · Qatar · Saudi Arabia · Riyadh

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