US Senator Murphy Says He Was Barred From Visiting Military Base in Qatar
On Tuesday, Democratic US Senator Chris Murphy said the Department of Defense prevented him from visiting a military base in Qatar during a Middle East tour, calling it an attempt by the US government to conceal the impact of the Iran war.
The war launched by the US and Israel in February has led to repeated Iranian attacks on the Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US base in the region.
“This trip confirmed for me that there is an active, unprecedented, unconstitutional effort underway to hide the costs of this war and the implications of this war from Congress and the American people,” Murphy told a group of journalists in Riyadh, the second stop on his trip.
Several members of Congress, including Republicans from President Donald Trump’s party, have been seeking more information from the administration about the cost of the war, its military strategy and the number of casualties.
A senior Pentagon official said Murphy’s office had been informed before his trip that the department would not support his access to the base. The official said the decision was in line with a March 3, 2026 directive from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth restricting travel to the area.
“The Department applies the Secretary’s guidance evenly,” the official said in an emailed statement.
Murphy also said that the Pentagon refused to arrange a briefing for him on the war while he was in the region.
He said, “I’ve never encountered anything like this in my time in the Senate, and it’s part of a deliberate campaign of obfuscation that my Republican colleagues in Congress should demand an end to.”
Murphy said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had helped facilitate his trip along with arranging meetings with diplomats, in contrast to what he described as a lack of support from the Pentagon.
As part of the visit, Murphy held talks with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other senior officials from the Gulf region.
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