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'No exit strategy': US congresswoman sounds alarm over 'endless' Iran war

US President Donald Trump hosts a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2026. (AFP Photo)
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US President Donald Trump hosts a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2026. (AFP Photo)
March 27, 2026 11:07 AM GMT+03:00

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina stated Thursday that she has not seen an exit strategy for the Iran war and expressed concern about the U.S. entering "another 20-year-plus endless war."

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal warned that Americans should be "shocked and fearful" at the prospect of ground troops being sent to Iran.

The latest casualty figures showed 1,937 people killed in Iran and 5,492 Israelis injured since the war began.

An Israeli self-propelled howitzer artillery gun fires rounds towards southern Lebanon from a position in the upper Galilee in northern Israel near the border, March 26, 2026. (AFP Photo)
An Israeli self-propelled howitzer artillery gun fires rounds towards southern Lebanon from a position in the upper Galilee in northern Israel near the border, March 26, 2026. (AFP Photo)

'I haven't seen an exit strategy yet', call to 'declare victory'

Speaking to CBS News congressional correspondent Nikole Killion on "The Takeout," Mace said she walked out of a House Armed Services Committee briefing on Iran on Wednesday because it "left most of our questions unanswered."

Mace added that she has "grave concerns about the Washington war machine getting us into another 20-year-plus endless war" and would oppose sending ground forces into Iran.

"I haven't seen an exit strategy yet. And I think that's where a lot of us share the heartburn," Mace said.

She added that she remains a strong supporter of Trump and believes the U.S. operation has been successful at degrading Iran's missile capabilities, but wants Trump to "declare victory" rather than allow the conflict to become "a never-ending war."

Mace also criticized fellow South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally and longtime Iran hard-liner.

She said Graham "has an outsized role" in advising Trump and "needs to be taken out of the room." Mace is currently running for South Carolina governor.

Iraqi soldiers inspect the site of a destroyed healthcare center in the Habbaniyah military base, which was targeted by an airstrike in Habbaniyah, west of Baghdad, March 26, 2026. (AFP Photo)
Iraqi soldiers inspect the site of a destroyed healthcare center in the Habbaniyah military base, which was targeted by an airstrike in Habbaniyah, west of Baghdad, March 26, 2026. (AFP Photo)

'Americans should be resisting'

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, stated that he has gotten "no clarity" about whether the Pentagon will request potentially $200 billion for the Iran war.

He told reporters at the Capitol that he comes away from classified briefings "knowing less than when I went into them, because they are so confusing, muddled and chaotic in the presentation of objectives of this war."

Blumenthal warned strongly against a ground operation. "For American boots on the ground in Iran, Americans should be shocked and fearful by the prospect of American sons and daughters on the ground in Iran, in the most risky and perilous situation in recent military history, and on a mass scale, with thousands of troops heading for that region right now," Blumenthal said.

"Americans should not only be shocked, they ought to be resisting and expressing their anger and apprehension, because we still have time to stop the potential catastrophe," he added.

He said he will "do everything I can as a member of the Armed Services Committee to call out the confusion and chaos and make sure that Americans realize what is actually happening."

Regional escalation has continued since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing over 1,937 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Israel's Health Ministry also reported 261 injuries in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of Israelis injured since Feb. 28 to 5,492.

March 27, 2026 11:07 AM GMT+03:00
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