Washington, March 22 (IANS) An influential Republican senator has raised concerns over the Trump administration’s lack of clarity on its objectives in the Iran conflict, warning that the approach could strain ties with key allies even as he backed aspects of President Donald Trump’s policy.
In an interview on ABC News' This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Senator Thom Tillis said the US strategy in Iran remains unclear.
“I don’t know, and I think it’s a real problem,” Tillis said when asked about the objective of the war.
He said the initial military action appeared effective. “I thought the initial bombing raid a while back was very successful,” he said, adding that limited follow-up operations could be justified.
However, he cautioned that the broader strategy remains undefined. “Now, it’s very ambiguous. I don’t know what our long-term strategic goals are,” he said.
The remarks come as the Pentagon prepares a potential request of up to $200 billion to fund the war effort, a move that would require bipartisan support in Congress.
Tillis said lawmakers need clarity before approving such spending. “We need to know how that money is going to be spent,” he said.
He added that securing funding would require political consensus. “We’re going to have to figure out how to accomplish that,” he said, noting the need for Democratic support.
At the same time, Tillis warned against a shift towards isolationism following US intervention in the region.
“We can’t, all of a sudden, go out there and intervene the way we have and then suddenly become an isolationist in the back end of it,” he said.
He stressed that global supply chains and allied economies depend on stability in the Strait of Hormuz. “Our allies, our partners and the people we rely on to stabilise the Middle East… rely on it,” he said.
Tillis also pushed back against criticism of NATO after Trump described allies as unwilling to support efforts in the region.
“I don’t think that they’re cowards,” Tillis said, adding that allies were not consulted before military action, which affected their response.
“I think they’re people that weren’t consulted on a major military operation,” he said.
He warned that US actions could damage long-term partnerships. “You just can’t have it both ways,” he said, referring to intervening militarily and then expecting allies to manage the consequences.
Tillis, a senior member of the Senate NATO Observer Group, said relationships with allies remain critical to US security.
“American lives have been saved by the NATO alliance,” he said, warning that weakening it would carry “enormous risk”.
Despite his criticism, Tillis reiterated support for the President’s broader approach. “I generally support what the President’s doing in Iran,” he said, while calling for greater clarity and coordination.
--IANS
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