Virginia leader, vice chairman of Intelligence Committee, confused about President Trump’s stance on Israel-Iran conflict

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) has said he is confused about President Donald Trump's stance on the escalating Israel-Iran conflict.

Israel carried out a surprise attack on targets throughout Iran on Friday, June 13, killing top generals, which was followed by days of escalating strikes, according to the Associated Press.

The day before the surprise attack, on Thursday, June 12, Trump posted the following to social media regarding negotiations with Iran:

We remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue! My entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran. They could be a Great Country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a Nuclear Weapon. President Donald Trump

Following days of escalating conflict, Trump's social media posts on Monday, June 16, and Tuesday, June 17, took a different tone in addressing the conflict.

One post called for the evacuation of Tehran and another addressed new information regarding the U.S. involvement in the conflict, saying, in part, "We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran." Another demanded the "unconditional surrender" of Iran's leader, Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei, however, rejected U.S. calls for surrender and warned that any American military involvement would cause "irreparable damage" to them, AP reported.

Warner, who serves as vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, told the media over a virtual call on Wednesday, June 18, that he does not understand Trump's policy on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, and that he was not aware of new intelligence that may have been received regarding the strikes.

"What so concerns me is that I have no idea what this administration's policy is on this conflict," Warner said.

He further explained the confusion Americans may be experiencing amidst his own, despite his position as one of the top leaders of the Intelligence Committee.

"If I, as the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, a senior member of the United States Senate, have no idea what this President's current policy on this conflict is, what signal does that send to our foes, our friends around the world?" Warner asked.

He added that the confusion stems from a lack of communication and the change in the administration's possible intelligence and stance over a short period.

"The President at the beginning of this conflict said, 'Well, America will help Israel defend itself, but is not going to get involved,'" Warner said. "That seems to have somewhat changed in the last 24 to 48 hours, or as it seems now, that the President is actually trying to provoke additional action with some of these tweets."

Warner further added that Trump's social media posts may undermine countries' confidence in the U.S.

"This is an extraordinarily dangerous situation here, and I am gravely concerned that this zig-zag approach is undermining confidence from our allies, it's undermining confidence in those nations in the Middle East, in addition to Israel who are concerned about Iran in terms of the predictability of America's actions," Warner said.

Warner said his main concern is the safety of Americans in both areas, although Trump said on social media that, "We don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers."

"My top concern is the safety and security of the nearly 40,000 Americans, military personnel, diplomatic personnel that are in the region," Warner said. "We must keep them safe."

Warner also urged Trump's administration to brief Congress before deciding on the U.S.'s involvement in the conflict.

"I think it is incumbent upon the President or his foreign policy team to brief the Congress before they put American troops in harm's way in this conflict," Warner said.

Warner further said, "The one thing we know about the Middle East is that it's a lot easier to start a war there than it is to end one."