Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal left a classified Senate Armed Services Committee briefing in open anger, warning that the trajectory of US military operations points toward the deployment of American ground forces in Iran. "It seems we are on a path toward sending American ground troops to Iran," Blumenthal told reporters after the session, adding that key questions raised during the briefing went unanswered by administration officials.

The senator also disclosed that he had seen "indicators of active Russian assistance" to Iran during the conflict, including intelligence support that he suggested may have contributed to the effectiveness of Iranian attacks on American military bases across the Middle East. Seven US service members have been killed since hostilities began. The disclosure, if accurate, would represent a significant development in the Russia-Iran relationship and a direct challenge to Moscow's public assurances that it is not supporting Iranian operations against US forces.

Blumenthal and other Democratic senators threatened procedural obstruction in the chamber unless senior administration officials agreed to testify under oath before Congress. He invoked the constitutional dimension of the conflict, noting that the power to declare war rests with Congress, not the executive branch. The warnings reflect mounting frustration on Capitol Hill over what legislators from both parties have described as insufficient consultation and transparency from an administration that has committed substantial military resources without a formal congressional authorization.