Republican lawmakers struggle to respond to Trump's escalating Iran military strikes

US and Iran Trade Escalating Strikes as Ceasefire Crumbles; GOP in Bind

Politico — DefenseThe United States and Iran exchanged intensifying rounds of strikes across the Middle East after Trump declared the interim ceasefire deal "over," threatening to destabilize a fragile agreement meant to end the conflict. Iran launched counter-strikes targeting US military assets in the Gulf, including attacks on two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, while Khamenei was being buried following his earlier death in US-Israeli strikes. Republican lawmakers found themselves in an awkward position, with many unwilling to publicly oppose a president whose military escalation they privately questioned. Trump separately threatened to tie US troop presence in Europe to a Greenland deal, broadening geopolitical pressure.