'It is so much worse than you thought.'
That was Senator Elizabeth Warren's message to the American public after walking out of a classified briefing on Donald Trump's military strikes against Iran. The warning came on Tuesday, just days after Trump and Israel launched bombing campaigns that have already killed six US service members and, according to Iranian officials, over 150 people at a girls' elementary school.
I just left a classified briefing with the Trump Administration about the war in Iran.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) March 3, 2026
I was worried before, but I’m more worried now. pic.twitter.com/HoSWLVWrR8
Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, didn't mince words. She called the conflict an 'illegal war based on lies' and said Trump still hasn't given 'a single clear reason' for starting it.
'You are right to be worried,' Warren said in a video posted to X. 'The Trump administration has no plan in Iran. This illegal war is based on lies, and it was launched without any imminent threat to our nation.'
'We Remain as Confused as the American People'
Warren wasn't the only senator rattled by the briefing. Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii told reporters the closed-door session with Secretary of State Marco Rubio left him with more questions than answers.
'There are times when you go into a classified session and you walk out with a better understanding about the gravity of the situation and the rationale behind the military action,' Schatz said. 'This is not one of those times. We remain as confused as the American people are.'
The Hawaii Democrat pointed to the administration's shifting explanations. 'They have had three or four or five justifications for this act of war over the last four or five days,' Schatz said, 'and nothing in this classified session alleviated that confusion.'
According to reports, Independent Senator Angus King of Maine offered a blunter assessment. He called it 'very disturbing' that Trump took the US to war because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to bomb Iran. Past US presidents, King noted, 'have consistently said no' to such pressure.
Children as Young as Seven Among the Dead
The human toll is already staggering.
Six US service members are dead. Others are seriously wounded. In Iran, a missile strike reportedly killed over 150 people at the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab. Most of the victims were girls between seven and 12 years old.
UNESCO called the school bombing 'a grave violation of humanitarian law.'
UNESCO is deeply alarmed by the impact of the ongoing military escalation in the Middle East on educational institutions, students, and education personnel.
— UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳 (@UNESCO) March 1, 2026
Initial reports indicate that an attack on a girls' primary school in Minab, southern Iran, has resulted in the deaths of… pic.twitter.com/RGaqrUetFA
Warren is now pushing for a US investigation. Israel's military has said it wasn't aware of any operations in that area, she noted, raising questions about American involvement. 'We must find out what happened and hold those responsible to account,' Warren said in her Senate floor speech.
Watch the floor speech here.
'It Will Be Our Sons and Daughters'
Warren got personal. All three of her brothers served in the military. She remembers what that fear felt like.
'I remember the fear our family felt with every late-night phone call or official-looking letter,' she said. 'The people who will be asked to sacrifice their lives are the American people. It won't be Donald Trump. It won't be Pete Hegseth. It will be our sons and daughters, our nieces and nephews, our grandchildren.'
Trump hasn't ruled out sending ground troops. That possibility has spooked lawmakers on both sides.
Congress Moves to Block the War
Warren announced she'll vote against supporting Trump's military action. She's urging colleagues to back a bipartisan War Powers Resolution from Senators Tim Kaine and Rand Paul that would force the president to withdraw.
I’m voting NO on Trump and Netanyahu’s war in Iran.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) March 4, 2026
The American people do not support Donald Trump dragging the United States into yet another endless war in the Middle East, and neither do I. pic.twitter.com/ma6rWopwBC
'Only Congress can declare war,' Warren said during the floor speech. 'One single person should not have the power to drag our entire country into a reckless war, but that's exactly what Donald Trump has done.'
Senator Richard Blumenthal said he's 'more fearful than ever' that US troops could end up on the ground in Iran, Democracy Now reported. Senator Ruben Gallego, an Iraq war veteran, warned the conflict could turn into a 'long-term war' with no clear exit.
Warren closed her floor speech with a promise: 'I will keep fighting for an end to this war.'
