ISTANBUL

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.

He said his questions, including one about the cost of the war, had gone unanswered.

"We seem to be on a path toward deploying American troops on the ground in Iran to accomplish any of the potential objectives," Blumenthal warned, calling it his foremost concern.

Trump has previously declined to rule out ground troops, telling the New York Post he would consider deployment "if necessary."

Blumenthal said Russia appeared to be aiding Iran "actively and intensively with intelligence and perhaps with other means," and that China may also be assisting Tehran.

"American people deserve to know much more than this administration has told them," he added.

His remarks stand in contrast to assurances from US envoy Steve Witkoff, who said Russian President Vladimir Putin had personally told US President Donald Trump that Russia is not sharing intelligence with Iran on US military assets.

Tensions in the Middle East escalated after Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran on Feb. 28, and to date have killed more than 1,200 people, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was the country's supreme leader.

Around 140 US service members have been wounded over the first 10 days of the campaign, with eight killed and eight remaining severely injured, the Pentagon told Anadolu.