Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) said Sunday the United States should not “cut and run” in its conflict with Iran and admonished Democrats who believe President Donald Trump should negotiate with Tehran to end the monthslong conflict.
While speaking with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation, Kennedy said Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will brief him on Wednesday on recent developments in the conflict. Kennedy also noted he saw a CBS News poll released Sunday morning showing low voter support for continued military operations in the Middle East.
Kennedy said “we all need to do a better job messaging” and noted Trump has “not always been disciplined” when speaking publicly about the conflict.
“I would put Rubio and Caine and Ratcliffe and Hegseth out there, either in a speech or in a long press conference,” Kennedy said, “to explain what’s going on in Iran, why we went in, and why we’re still there.”
According to the poll, nearly eight in ten Americans think the U.S. should “end the conflict now,” though “Trump and Republicans” scored two percentage points higher than Democrats when respondents were asked which party has the preferable Iran policy. Earlier on the show, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) answered affirmatively when asked if the U.S. should “just cut the losses where they are,” citing rising gas prices and a need to negotiate with Tehran.
“Now the Democrats – I listened to Bernie,” Kennedy said. “Bernie wants to just come home. He wants to turn out the lights, make sure the cat’s inside, and go to bed. That would be a huge, huge mistake.”
“I think we ought to tighten the sanctions on the sale of Iranian oil,” Kennedy said, adding that the U.S. “should stay the course, at least for a few months” if the economy can withstand the risk of energy costs rising. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has continued firing missiles and drones at ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks and months despite the Trump administration’s on-again-off-again attempts at diplomacy.
“I think we ought to continue the blockade and starve them out. I think we ought to bomb Pickaxe Mountain and try to reach what’s underneath it,” Kennedy said. “These people are more than mildly insane. It’s like dealing with son of Sam or Charles Manson. But I don’t think we ought to just cut and run.”
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Kennedy pressed Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday about what would happen if the U.S. pulled out of the conflict entirely.
The U.S. decided not to strike Iran over the weekend, snapping a 13-day streak of striking Iranian targets.