Murphy: Pentagon denied Qatar base access to hide Iran war damage — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Sen. Chris Murphy was refused entry to Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East, during a Congressional Delegation trip meant to inspect damage from Iranian drone strikes, calling the denial part of a campaign to 'mask the true cost of the war'
- The Defense Department told Military Times the refusal was consistent with the Secretary of War's March 3, 2026 travel-restrictions directive, while the State Department had supported Murphy's regional trip
- Murphy said the U.S. embassy in Riyadh was struck by two Iranian drones on the same day the travel advisory was issued, leaving multiple floors damaged and part of the building 'uninhabitable,' though no casualties were reported
- Murphy attributed the unrepaired embassy to the Biden-era 2023 announcement of plans to build a new embassy compound in Riyadh, and noted the daytime strike could have killed 'many Americans'
- Murphy, who sits on both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Defense Appropriations Committee, plans to draft appropriations language explicitly requiring DoD to grant Congress access to overseas bases, conceding it likely won't pass before year-end
- Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is, according to Murphy, 'determined to hide the cost and the consequences of this war,' with Murphy noting both Democratic and Republican senators have been denied access
Why it matters: Murphy sits on the two committees that fund and authorize U.S. military action, and his planned legislation would force DoD to grant congressional access to overseas bases even during travel restrictions — turning a single denied visit into a precedent fight over wartime legislative oversight. The clash lands as Al Udeid shows visible Iranian drone damage and the Riyadh embassy sits partially 'uninhabitable' but un-rebuilt, deepening scrutiny of how the Iran war's physical toll is being disclosed to Congress.
Ask SkimNews
