U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan said Thursday that she “cannot understand the military way” the Trump administration plans to end the Iran war and asked whether further military action is meant “to make you look tough,” after being asked on Detroit television whether she is comfortable with more strikes following reports that President Donald Trump wants to strike Iran again after the midterms.
“I think, look, I served three tours in Iraq. I was [a] CIA officer, Pentagon official. War is serious business. And I cannot understand the military way that they’re going to end this war, right? I just don’t see it unless you’re putting boots on the ground in another huge war in the Middle East, which I really don’t think the public or any good national security person would advise,” Slotkin said in a live interview on WXYZ-TV Detroit, part of the station’s “We the People: Road to the Midterms” coverage. “So the president has to decide, like, is military action to make you look tough, to change the nature of the negotiation, or are you just in a tough spot? You need to send in people who know how to professionally negotiate with the Iranians who are in a better position than they were before this war started.”
In a post on X the same day, Slotkin wrote: “I served three tours in Iraq alongside the military. I was a CIA officer and a Pentagon official. President Trump’s threats of further military action in Iran won’t bring us any closer to ending this war.”
The interviewer’s premise tracked reporting published Thursday. A Semafor report, citing an administration official, reported that the Trump administration is involved in negotiations centered on a temporary peace deal with Iran, that if diplomacy fails the United States is ready to resume combat operations shortly after the midterms, and that “All they’ll need is a go order from the president.” The official told Semafor that Trump “is the one most open” to a ramp-up but still has reservations, and that many inside the administration are skeptical of resuming military operations.
The New York Times reported on Oct. 21, citing U.S. officials and others briefed on the deliberations, that the U.S. and Israeli militaries had developed specific plans for “a short but intensive operation” against Iran after the American midterm elections, with likely targets including Iran’s energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenal. The Times reported that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel that week to discuss new strikes, that some U.S. planners believe “an intensive three-day campaign” could change Iran’s negotiating position, and that the full U.S. buildup, including three aircraft carriers, would not be in place until early November. The paper also reported that Trump has repeatedly vetoed plans for a return to major combat, including earlier this month when both militaries were nearly ready to attack, and that some officials say targeting would avoid refineries and oil infrastructure because Trump wants to prevent higher gas prices. A White House official told the Times the administration does not comment on military plans “that may or may not exist” and that Trump was keeping all options on the table to ensure Iran cannot acquire nuclear weapons. Dana Stroul, the Pentagon’s top Middle East policy official under President Joe Biden, told the paper that neither Trump nor Netanyahu “has made a compelling case for how more war would change this strategic dilemma.”
ABC News, citing Israeli sources, reported on Oct. 22 that the Israeli Defense Forces and the U.S. military have drawn up plans for renewed joint strikes almost certainly after the midterms. One Israeli source told ABC, “Hunting season is open as soon as the elections end and it’s obvious that they’re not going to wait long.” The sources said the decision is “only for Trump to decide,” that strikes could hit petrochemical facilities and nuclear sites, and that Netanyahu favors renewed action aimed ultimately at regime change. The Pentagon declined to comment to ABC. Iranian officials have vowed a wider response; Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Iran’s negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the idea of a 72-hour U.S. campaign was a “fantasy,” the Times reported.
As of Oct. 28, the Defense Casualty Analysis System listed 15 deaths under Operation Epic Fury and 7 deaths under Overseas Operations, for a combined total of 22 U.S. deaths in the Iran-related operations. Stars and Stripes, citing a Pentagon estimate provided to Congress, reported the Defense Department’s war cost figure as $47.1 billion as of Oct. 16.
Trump has defended Hegseth’s leadership. At a Joint Base Andrews press gaggle Thursday, asked whether he worried about Democratic rhetoric about impeaching Hegseth if they win, Trump said Hegseth is “doing a great job,” is “a great warrior,” and is “the best at his job in many, many years,” according to the Roll Call Factba.se transcript. Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson has previously called Hegseth “a transformative leader for the Department of War,” telling Military.com reporters that “Standards and merit are back, our arsenal is stronger than ever before, and morale and recruitment across every service are at all-time highs.”
Criticism of the war has also come from Republicans. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, read eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Sept. 15 that include War Powers claims over Iran, according to Massie’s press release, and has said he will force a lame-duck vote if Hegseth remains.
Slotkin served her three Iraq tours as a civilian CIA analyst, not in uniform, which is why her post says she served “alongside the military.” Her view that further strikes “won’t bring us any closer to ending this war,” and her question about whether military action is meant to look tough, are her own judgments; an administration official told Semafor that negotiations on a temporary peace deal are underway and that many inside the administration are skeptical of resuming military operations. The reports of post-midterm strike plans rest on anonymous U.S. and Israeli officials, the White House has declined to comment on military plans, and Trump has not publicly ordered a new campaign.