Washington, April 5 (IANS) Political and religious leaders in the United States on Sunday raised concerns over the conflict with Iran, questioning its justification, strategy and economic impact as tensions intensify.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees Catholic chaplains serving U.S. forces, said the conflict does not meet the threshold of a “just war”, warning that it appears to be addressing a threat “before the threat is actually realised”.

Speaking on CBS’ Face the Nation, Broglio aligned himself with calls for diplomacy, noting that “lives are being lost, both there and also among our troops”. He added that for service members caught in moral dilemmas, “my counsel would be to do as little harm as you can, and to try and preserve innocent lives”.

The archbishop also cautioned against framing the conflict in religious terms, saying it is “a little bit problematic” to portray the war as divinely justified, adding that it is “hard to cast this war as something that would be sponsored by the Lord”.

He pointed to growing concern over “moral injury” among troops, noting that even lawful combat “is going to leave some traces in your heart or on your soul”, prompting efforts within the military chaplaincy to help personnel cope with the psychological burden of war.

Parallel concerns emerged from the political sphere, with Maryland Governor Wes Moore linking the conflict to rising economic strain at home. He said energy costs have surged, noting that “gas prices have gone up by over $1 because we decided to enter into another war of choice”.

Moore warned that the United States is “very dangerously lurching again into another forever war”, drawing comparisons with Afghanistan, where “the United States was there for 20 years and 20 years later the Taliban” remained in power. He argued that the administration has “yet to articulate what exactly it is that we are doing”.

With reports of a U.S. fighter jet being shot down and search-and-rescue operations underway inside Iranian territory, Moore said the situation “is deeply concerning”, adding that families fear “to pick up the phone because they are afraid to hear what is on the other end”.

He stressed that “no one understands what exactly it is that we are doing, or what success looks like”, calling for clarity from the White House on both objectives and endgame.

On foreign policy, Moore said the Iran conflict reflects deeper strategic gaps, arguing that the U.S. has entered the conflict without meeting key criteria: “War should always be the last resort, you are clear about your mission, and you have built an international coalition. We haven’t done any of those things.”

Developments on the ground have further complicated the situation. According to CNN, U.S. forces carried out a high-risk operation to rescue a downed airman inside Iranian territory, involving “dozens of aircraft” and “hundreds of U.S. military and intelligence personnel”.

The pilot, who had been shot down, survived by hiding in mountainous terrain before being extracted, underscoring both the intensity of the conflict and the capabilities of U.S. special operations forces.

–IANS

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