Sen. Chris Murphy said the United States should end hostilities with Iran and avoid entering a war with the Houthis after the Riyadh airport attack. He argued that the conflict was widening, cited rising prices, 20 American deaths and $100 billion in spending, and said regional partners should work to reopen the Strait and Red Sea. Murphy also alleged that Congress was being blocked from inspecting damaged bases in Bahrain and Qatar, while the Congressional Budget Office could not estimate repair costs without Pentagon information. The interview supplied no withdrawal timetable, reconstruction estimate, or deadline for congressional access. Murphy said the United States would still need a regional presence, but the excerpt ends before he completed that answer.
TLDR: Murphy urged an end to U.S. hostilities with Iran, opposed war with the Houthis, and called for congressional access to inspect damaged bases. The interview cited major reported costs and casualties but left repair estimates, access timelines, and the future scale of U.S. presence unresolved.
Sen. Chris Murphy used an Oct. 11 interview on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” to call for an end to U.S. hostilities with Iran and oppose a wider American war in Yemen. The Connecticut Democrat argued that the conflict was expanding rather than becoming more limited. His remarks were criticism of the administration’s war policy, not an announcement of a new government measure.
Murphy’s stated rationale was that ending American hostilities would best support U.S. troops and people in the region and reduce the risk of further escalation. He said regional partners should take on the work of reopening the Strait and the Red Sea. He also argued that a new U.S. war with the Houthis would make an already dangerous situation worse.
The interview opened with a question about a Houthi attack on an airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Host Margaret Brennan said 309 people were injured and 12 were killed, including one American. Murphy said he had been at the airport the previous day and had visited Saudi and Qatari officials who were trying to negotiate an end to the war.
Murphy described the conflict as spiraling out of control. He said it had become a full-scale new war between the Houthis in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. He also claimed that Iran was restarting missile programs and nuclear research, while its drone program had not been eliminated. When Brennan asked about the nuclear claim, Murphy clarified that it was based on open-source reporting about possible activity at Pickaxe Mountain, including digging to rebuild capacity. He did not say the information came from a classified briefing.
His claims about the wider consequences were sharply critical. Murphy cited gas prices of $6 in some states, rising diesel and food prices, 20 Americans dead, and $100 billion spent. He called the situation a humiliation for the United States and said lawmakers who voted for or continued to support the war should be voted out in November. Those were Murphy’s assessments and figures in the interview; the transcript does not independently establish them.
On the Riyadh attack, Murphy opposed U.S. retaliation that would take the country into war with the Houthis. He said the United States should not widen its military involvement after entering a war against Iran. He also warned that escalation could bring more misery to taxpayers and people in the region. President Trump, Brennan said, had described the possibility of U.S. strikes while also saying the administration was talking to the Houthis.
The exchange then turned to damage at U.S. installations. Brennan said the Congressional Budget Office could not estimate the cost of damage to American bases because the Pentagon had not provided the information, and that the extent of rebuilding remained unclear. Murphy said he had seen the embassy, but not the naval base in Bahrain or air base in Qatar, which he described as the most expensive rebuilds. He alleged that Congress was being denied access to inspect the bases and called the lack of oversight egregious. The transcript presents that as Murphy’s charge, not a documented finding by an independent authority.
Brennan noted that the Pentagon said it needed additional funds for the war with Iran. Murphy opposed continuing the conflict and said the president was considering returning to war after the election. He argued that the possibility of renewed hostilities could prompt Iran to escalate. The interview did not provide the amount of additional funds requested, a vote schedule, or a date by which Congress would receive access to damaged facilities.
In practical terms, Murphy’s position would mean ending American hostilities, declining to enter a war with the Houthis, and asking regional partners to reopen the Strait and Red Sea. The interview gave no detailed withdrawal timetable, implementation steps, or cost estimate for ending the conflict. It did cite $100 billion in spending and $6 gas in some states, while Brennan said the cost of base damage could not be estimated with the information then available. Murphy also said lawmakers could not inspect the facilities; no inspection process or deadline was specified. These uncertainties matter to taxpayers and service members, while a reduced U.S. role could limit American freedom of action in the region.
Murphy said the United States would always need a presence in the region, even as he supported a drawdown. The excerpt ends before his answer is complete, so it does not establish what level of presence he would retain. The next steps described in the interview are continued congressional scrutiny of damage and costs and debate over whether to rebuild. No formal deadline or oversight decision was announced, leaving those steps unresolved.
Lila Hayes serves as a Staff Writer for Just Right News, where she anchors the “Courts, Law, and Constitutional Order” beat. Her work is defined by a steadfast commitment to the foundational principles of the American republic and a rigorous defense of the legal frameworks that ensure national stability. As a primary voice for the outlet, she provides readers with a clear-eyed analysis of the judiciary, focusing on the importance of originalism and the preservation of the separation of powers.
Lila’s perspective was forged in the American heartland. Raised in St. Louis, Missouri, she grew up in a Hispanic household where the values of hard work, faith, and respect for the law were paramount. Her upbringing instilled in her a deep appreciation for the American Dream and the legal protections that make it possible. This Missouri background remains a cornerstone of her reporting, providing a grounded, common-sense counter-narrative to the often-insular legal circles of the coastal elite. She understands that the decisions made in high-court chambers have real-world consequences for families and small business owners across the country.
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