Sen. Chris Murphy says his ‘Awesome’ Iran blockade post was sarcasm

Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, said he was being sarcastic when he called reports that Iranian ships had escaped a U.S. blockade “brilliant” in a message to X on Monday, in response to reports that as many as 26 ships had escaped U.S. detection.

Murphy brushed off criticism that he had celebrated the shortcomings of President Donald Trump’s military strategy.

“It’s incredibly disingenuous. Obviously all these Republicans know I was being sarcastic. They just don’t really want to have to answer for the fact that this war has gone off the rails,” Murphy said. “Republicans don’t want to talk about this, so they try to create fake outrage over sarcasm. »

Murphy’s defense of his phrasing highlights the tension Democrats have navigated since hostilities between the United States and Tehran began: pushing back against parts of the Trump administration’s Iran strategy without inadvertently appearing sympathetic toward a geopolitical adversary.

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Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, wants the Trump administration to explain its war with Iran. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Like many Democrats, Murphy has criticized Trump’s decision to bomb Iran and, more recently, criticized plans to impose a naval blockade on Iran in an effort to undermine Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil transportation.

“Let’s talk about Trump’s insane plan to address Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz: help them close the Strait,” Murphy said of the administration’s strategy earlier this month.

“He makes mistakes one after the other.”

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Fishing boats and cargo ships sail in the Persian Gulf towards the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo)

GOP skeptics responding to his post believe Murphy is celebrating the defeat of a strategy he initially thought was misguided.

“A sitting US senator is actively supporting Iran. This is crazy as hell. TRAITOR,” TikTok Libs, a popular conservative account, wrote in their own post.

Murphy told Fox News Digital that these criticisms were overblown, calling them a distraction from the political toll of the war.

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Senator Chris Murphy speaks at Concordia’s 2025 Annual Summit, September 24, 2025, in New York. (Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Annual Summit)

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“You’re talking about a war that cost American taxpayers billions of dollars and allowed Iran to control the straits,” Murphy said. “More than a dozen Americans have been killed. There appears to be no endgame.”

Asked to comment on Murphy’s post, at least one other senator declined to offer his opinion.

“I don’t know about that,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., told Fox News Digital.