A Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee dropped a blunt assessment of the ongoing conflict with Iran on Wednesday, declaring Washington “stalled” militarily as the Trump administration seeks to find an endgame.
“Very clearly militarily, we are stalled,” Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) told Bloomberg in an interview. “There’s no question about that.”
Harrigan argued the U.S. had achieved some of its original objectives, but was now “stuck” in a prolonged confrontation with no clear path forward, according to the outlet.
“We have to stop fighting a limited war [indefinitely], thinking that we’re going to use limited conflict to achieve unlimited outcomes,” he said. “What we’re doing right now is irresponsible, and we need to make a decision.”
His warning comes as Washington and Tehran resumed tit-for-tat attacks following a relative lull in fighting during August. Iran targeted merchant vessels over the weekend, prompting U.S. strikes on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sites. In recent days, Tehran launched missiles and drones at U.S. bases across the region, including in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
Brent crude jumped more than 6% this week to around $95 a barrel, while U.S. diesel prices have reached a four-year high, Bloomberg noted.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he does not expect the latest round of strikes to continue for “too long,” while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is pursuing a renewed economic pressure campaign against Tehran alongside the U.S. naval blockade.
But formal negotiations remain unresolved after a June memorandum of understanding expired without producing a permanent agreement.
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