‘We Are Losing This War’: House Democrat Tells Anderson Cooper That Trump Is ‘Begging’ China To Help Open Iran Strait

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Wednesday that the United States is “losing this war” with Iran, claiming that President Donald Trump is “begging” China for help to bring the conflict to a close.

Moulton joined Anderson Cooper 360 to discuss what he learned from a Wednesday House Armed Services briefing on the ongoing U.S. military operation in Iran. Cooper asked Moulton how he felt after the briefing, noting that many of the congressman’s colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, were deeply displeased at the Pentagon’s lack of transparency.

“I would say disillusioned, Anderson,” said Moulton. “And I didn’t think I could be more disillusioned than I already was. There is absolutely no plan. The administration clearly can’t even understand why they’re in this war, what their strategy is to get out of it.”

The congressman told Cooper that Trump’s administration was most focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial oil pathway that Iran has kept closed for weeks amid volatile oil prices. He claimed that the U.S. was currently losing in the conflict, claiming that the administration was pleading with China for help in reopening the strait.

“If you look every step of the way, they’re doing things to– they’re changing their goals. They’re doing things that don’t even necessarily contribute to their goals,” said Moulton, adding:

Apparently, now their primary goal is reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which, let’s be clear, was open before Trump started this war of choice. So the reality is, at this moment, we are losing this war. If Trump were to stop the war tonight, he would have to negotiate with the Iranians to reopen the Strait that they have closed. That’s why he’s begging. He’s begging our greatest adversary, the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party, he’s asking to come and bail him out to reopen this strait. It’s an unmitigated disaster, and it’s very clear they don’t have a plan going forward.

Cooper asked the congressman to clarify his point, noting the number of targets the military has reported hit.

“So, I mean, even though CENTCOM today is saying 10,000 targets in Iran have been hit, and we have seen, you know, endless videos of large explosions, you’re saying the U.S. is losing this war?”

Moulton maintained that he believed the U.S. did not have the upper hand, telling Cooper that no matter the number of targets destroyed, the real issue was Iran’s future actions.

“As of right now, I think we are,” he said. “And no matter how many targets are hit, let’s say they hit another 10,000. They’ve hit 20,000 targets. At the end of the day, what matters is what Iran does next. Will the rebuild and will they project more power?”

Watch above via CNN.

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