Washington: A US senator, after attending a classified briefing on the Iran campaign on Tuesday, warned that the US appeared to be heading toward deploying ground troops in the Islamic republic. "I emerged from this briefing as dissatisfied and angry as I have from any past briefing in my 15 years in Senate," Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal said, as he left the Senate Armed Services Committee briefing on US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

According to Anadolu Agency, Blumenthal expressed concern that his questions, including one about the cost of the war, had gone unanswered. He warned that "we seem to be on a path toward deploying American troops on the ground in Iran to accomplish any of the potential objectives," underscoring it as his foremost worry.

Former President Donald Trump has previously declined to rule out the possibility of deploying ground troops, suggesting to the New York Post that he would consider such action "if necessary." Blumenthal also noted that Russia might be providing active and intensive assistance to Iran through intelligence and possibly other means, with China potentially aiding Tehran as well.

Blumenthal criticized the current administration for not keeping the American public adequately informed. His remarks contrasted with assurances from US envoy Steve Witkoff, who stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin had personally assured US President Donald Trump that Russia was not sharing intelligence with Iran on US military assets.

Tensions in the Middle East have intensified following a joint attack by Israel and the US on Iran on February 28. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was the country's supreme leader. The Pentagon reported to Anadolu that around 140 US service members have been wounded in the first 10 days of the campaign, with eight fatalities and eight severely injured personnel.