U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor is calling for transparency and a clear endgame following an attack in Iran directed by President Donald Trump’s administration, warning that American citizens should not have to bear the burden of another “forever war” in the Middle East.
Castor made her remarks Saturday after U.S. and Israeli air strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a mission called Operation Epic Fury, but before four U.S. troops were confirmed killed. She joined numerous Florida politicians who have weighed in on Trump’s military actions over the weekend.
Castor said her chief priority is protecting American service members and civilians in the region “at a moment when the president has initiated a new war without authorization from Congress or the consent of the American people.”
“Americans have made clear that they do not want to be drawn into another open-ended, costly conflict in the Middle East,” Castor said.
“They deserve full honesty about the financial, strategic, and human consequences of a major military escalation — especially at a time when families are struggling with rising grocery prices, health‑care costs, and rent. Any mission undertaken in their name must be grounded in law, guided by a coherent strategy, and built around a clear endgame. It cannot be an open-ended commitment that risks American lives and diverts billions of taxpayer dollars away from urgent needs here at home.”
Castor, a Tampa Democrat, said “Iranian hardliners are brutal,” noting their well-documented violations of human rights and sponsorship of global terror. But she urged transparency nonetheless.
“The world wants freedom for the people of Iran, but right now, the Administration has left us with more questions than answers. The American people have repeatedly rejected the idea of another ‘forever war.’ History shows that the consequences of entering conflicts without defined objectives or a realistic plan to conclude them cost our nation dearly.”
