{"id":5415,"date":"2026-07-20T23:28:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T23:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/07\/20\/it-needs-to-end-now-democrats-urge-trump-to-halt-iran-war-after-us-troop-deaths\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T23:28:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T23:28:45","slug":"it-needs-to-end-now-democrats-urge-trump-to-halt-iran-war-after-us-troop-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=5415","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It needs to end now\u2019: Democrats urge Trump to halt Iran war after US troop deaths"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"a5a84d9c-72c9-49bb-8f5b-1c8a9b531b52\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Man in rose garden\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/041613011733e2c6854a6d63bc5227b078950db8\/458_0_4583_3667\/master\/4583.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372.06087715470215\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Trump in the White House Rose Garden earlier this month.<\/span> Photograph: Evan Vucci\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"a5a84d9c-72c9-49bb-8f5b-1c8a9b531b52\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Trump in the White House Rose Garden earlier this month.<\/span> Photograph: Evan Vucci\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">\u2018It needs to end now\u2019: Democrats urge Trump to halt Iran war after US troop deaths<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>President accused of having \u2018lost control of this war\u2019 as deaths of trio in Iranian military strikes fuel rising concern<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Democrats have seized on the deaths of three US troops killed in Iranian strikes to urge <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Donald Trump<\/a> to urgently reverse his resumption of the war with Iran amid widespread anxiety over climbing casualties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Even as US forces launched a 10th consecutive wave of attacks against Iranian targets, concern over the deaths of American service personnel threatened to complicate moves to escalate the conflict, which has reignited after he last week walked away from a memorandum of understanding agreed with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/iran\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Iran<\/a> in June.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The Pentagon released the names of two soldiers killed in a strike on Muwaffaq Salti air base in Jordan on Friday. They were First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A third member of the armed forces was killed in northern Iraq on Saturday in what US Central Command called a \u201ccontrolled detonation\u201d of unexploded ordnance. The remains of a possible fourth dead service member were found over the weekend in Jordan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator for Connecticut, accused Trump of having \u201cfrighteningly lost control of this war\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cFor those of us who pay attention to the hour-to-hour pace of the Iran War, things are getting very dark very quickly,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ChrisMurphyCT\/status\/2078565599156875287\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">wrote<\/a> on social media. \u201cThe scale of attacks \u2013 and threats of escalation \u2013 are increasing rapidly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, declared that the US would not be deterred by the casualties, writing: \u201cGodspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Iran has vowed to carry out retaliatory strikes against US Gulf allies, which it has branded \u201ccollaborators\u201d for providing logistical facilities for strikes on Iranian territory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In a brief telephone conversation with NewsNation, Trump called the deaths \u201ca very sad thing\u201d and said the service members had died \u201cin service of our country\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">But he faced a chorus of calls from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/democrats\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Democrats<\/a> to step back from his belligerent posture even as Republicans remained supportive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThe reckless and costly war of choice in Iran has been a disaster for the American people,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepJeffries\/status\/2078981507046060188\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">wrote Hakeem Jeffries<\/a>, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives. \u201cMay God continue to watch over our troops who have needlessly been put into harm\u2019s way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate intelligence committee and a Democrat from Virginia, said there were \u201chundreds of seriously wounded\u201d US personnel, and added it was \u201cremarkable\u201d that casualty figures had not been higher.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThis is what happens when you start a war of choice. And as a member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gang_of_Eight_(intelligence)\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Gang of Eight<\/a>, I can say unequivocally there was no imminent threat from Iran,\u201d he told CBS\u2019s Face the Nation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Chris Van Hollen, a Democratic senator from Maryland who has introduced war powers resolutions aimed at ending the Iran campaign unless it receives congressional approval, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ChrisVanHollen\/status\/2078568742603161964\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">posted<\/a>: \u201cThis senseless war should never have been started and it needs to end NOW.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Jeanne Shaheen, the party\u2019s ranking members of the Senate foreign relations committee, called for a return to diplomacy. \u201cThe President must negotiate an end to this disastrous war,\u201d she <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SFRCdems\/status\/2078541509620547856\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">And Ted Lieu, a California representative who has also vocally advocated reining in Trump through a war powers resolution, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepTedLieu\/status\/2078591627673706995\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">wrote<\/a>: \u201cWe need Republicans to join us in passing the War Powers Resolution NOW.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/20\/us\/politics\/troops-injured-jordan-iran-war.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">The New York Times reported<\/a> that Iranian forces carried out three strikes against US military targets in Jordan last week before Friday\u2019s deadly attacks that were not disclosed by the Pentagon. The newspaper said the Pentagon also did not reveal \u201cdozens\u201d of casualties and damage inflicted by the earlier strikes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The latest casualties brought the number of US service members killed since the start of the war on 28 February to at least 17. More than 1,700 Iranian civilians are estimated to have been killed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The House and Senate have both passed war powers resolutions \u2013 requiring the president to ask for congressional approval after 60 days of hostilities \u2013 with the aim of restraining Trump. But the White House has contended that there has yet to be 60 days of continuous fighting because the clock stopped after an initial ceasefire in April, which held, shakily, for several weeks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Republicans, meanwhile, have remained publicly supportive of Trump \u2013 despite poll figures showing support for the war and the president\u2019s conduct of it low and sliding. A Washington Post-Ipsos survey showed approval for Trump\u2019s handling of the conflict at 29% \u2013 lower than the 33% backing his stewardship of the economy, which has been buffeted by soaring fuel prices caused by the war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A statement from New Mexico Republicans mourned the fresh casualties but accused Democrats of trying to exploit them for political reasons.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cNo matter how much Democrats try to politicize this, President Trump\u2019s actions in Iran have made our country safer from a terrorist regime that has inflicted death and carnage on millions of innocent people around the world, including Americans,\u201d the party said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">James Comer, a representative from Kentucky and one of Trump\u2019s staunchest supporters on Capitol Hill, <a href=\"https:\/\/ca.news.yahoo.com\/rep-james-comer-defends-latest-170349440.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">told Fox News<\/a> that a military response to the service members\u2019 deaths was essential.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cI don\u2019t think anyone would prefer that we have any type of military conflict in Iran, but that\u2019s the world that we live in,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to respond, and we have to respond swiftly and with full force, and that\u2019s what President Trump\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Riley Moore, a West Virginia Republican, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/videos\/gop-lawmaker-urges-investigation-attack-211528592.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">told Fox<\/a> that the \u201cprecision\u201d of the strikes on the Jordanian base suggested Iran was receiving targeting information from Russia or China. He called on the US\u2019s Gulf allies on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to help.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cWhere do we go from here is also looking at how we\u2019re going to work with those GCC partners in the region because this could tip over \u2026 into a regional destabilizing conflict,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/us-israel-war-on-iran\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US-Israel war on Iran<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/democrats\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Democrats<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/iran\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Iran<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-foreign-policy\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US foreign policy<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98It%20needs%20to%20end%20now%E2%80%99:%20Democrats%20urge%20Trump%20to%20halt%20Iran%20war%20after%20US%20troop%20deaths&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/20\/democrats-trump-iran-war?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fjul%2F20%2Fdemocrats-trump-iran-war&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/jul\/20\/democrats-trump-iran-war\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1kq7f60\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump in the White House Rose Garden earlier this month. Photograph: Evan Vucci\/Reuters View image in fullscreen Trump<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}