Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) was forced to explain what “sarcasm” was Tuesday following a barrage of attacks from right-wing figures over a remark he’d made about the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

On Monday, multiple reports revealed that more than two dozen Iranian vessels bypassed the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil trade flows. In response to the reports, Murphy published a single-word post on social media: “awesome.”

The reaction from right-wing figures was swift.

“You should be removed from the Senate,” wrote right-wing figure and self-proclaimed “proud Islamophobe” Laura Loomer. “You are a national security threat.”

“This piece of s--- is rooting for the Muslim terror Mullahs to win,” wrote Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), another right-wing figure who’s also been scrutinized for making what critics have called Islamophobic remarks. “Treason.”

The right-wing backlash saw a number of other notable figures condemn Murphy, including political commentator Benny Johnson, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and conservative commentator Batya Ungar-Sargon, among several others.

As the backlash stretched into Tuesday morning, Murphy apparently felt compelled to clarify the meaning of his remark.

“I can’t believe I need to clarify this but obviously [President Donald] Trump’s bungled mismanagement of this war is not ‘awesome,’” Murphy wrote in a

on X. “As I have said a million times here, it’s a disaster and he should end the war immediately. My tweet was something called ‘sarcasm.’”