On CNNs Sunday program State of the Union, New York Republican Representative Mike Lawler rejected any suggestion that fighting involving Iran is minor. Host Dana Bash cited President Trumps description after American forces hit three Iranian sites the previous day and asked whether Lawler would use the same language with constituents, more than half of whom are service members, veterans, police, or first responders.

Lawler said war or any military escalation is serious. He named blocking an Iranian nuclear arsenal, cutting funds for Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and other proxies, and ending large-scale production of missiles and drones that Russia uses against Ukraine as essential goals.

He added that operations have largely sought to weaken Irans armed forces and that recent efforts have kept commercial shipping moving through the Strait of Hormuz, where oil flow has returned to about 70 percent of earlier volume.