A prominent Democratic senator threatened Thursday to block U.S. weapons sales to Iraq unless Congress receives information on Iraqi forces and other pertinent military data.

In a heated inquiry with senior officers of the state and defense departments, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) questioned the capability of Iraq's security forces after Mosul had been easily seized by rebels.

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He questioned the Obama administration's faith in Iraq to emerge as a "functional federalist" state, citing that its forces has repeatedly failed despite U.S. military training.

He said the forces had abandoned military equipment, deserted the local communities they were supposed to protect, and fled from militants.

There is a big possibility of a break up since an increasing number of local communities have been losing their trust in the government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki, he added.

He claimed that Congress was not updated on whether the U.S. would continue to provide military assistance to Iraq, or if Iraq's security forces are able to handle the rising insurgency in the region.

Unless Congress receives a report that detail Iraqi forces' strategies, it is unlikely that the committee would endorse continued arms sales only to be set aside and fall into the hands of the rebels, he said.

Acting principal deputy undersecretary of Defense for policy Elissa Slotskin said the assessments had already been gathered. But since the information was "dense" and "significant," the department is still trying to sort them out, she added.

She reassured the committee that Congress will be briefed as soon as the data is compiled.

Brett McGurk, State Department deputy assistant secretary, said the administration was gearing up on its intelligence.

McGurk, who recently came back from Baghdad, said Iraq's security forces were working to contain the insurgency north of the capital. He added that the forces have already suffered nearly 1,000 casualties.

Last month, President Barack Obama had authorized the deployment of 300 military advisers to assist Iraq in dealing with the insurgency.

However, a leaked military report revealed that the deployment had been unwise since Iraq's forces had been infiltrated by Sunni informants and Shiite militants, according to the New York Times.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi government is concerned about delays in U.S. counterterrorism support.

Iraq's ambassador in Washington, Lukman Faily, wrote a letter to Menendez early in the week, accusing the U.S. of employing a "strategy for doing nothing" as continued debates in Iraqi political reform continue to plague the Obama administration and Congress.

Faily added that Iraq cannot afford to dillydally, and if the U.S. was not interested, it would have no reason to refuse help from other countries.

TagsRobert Menendez, Bob Menendez, Democratic senator, Foreign Relations Committee, Elissa Slotskin, Brett McGurk, arms sale to Iraq, counterterrorism assistance, ISIS, Iraq, Iraqi security forces, Sunni, Maliki