Sen. Roger Marshall told News on Sunday that the war between the United States and Iran had moved into what he called a “mop-up operation” hours after fresh U.S. strikes on Iran. Marshall said the major war was over, even as U.S. Central Command said the U.S. launched retaliatory strikes on Iran for the second time in two days.
“The major war is over, and think of this as almost just a mop-up operation,” Marshall said on Meet the Press. He added, “We have to press them if they strike us. We have to strike them back by 10.” Marshall also said, “I’m asking America to hang in there. This is a, this is a détente. This is a ceasefire, and yeah, they broke the ceasefire. We have to answer that, as well.”
United States and Iran strikes
U.S. Central Command said Saturday that the U.S. launched retaliatory strikes on Iran for the second time in two days. The first retaliatory strike came after Iran struck a ship moving through the Strait of Hormuz. The second came after the Defense Department said Iran struck “targets linked to the American aggressor forces” in the region. Those details place Marshall’s language inside a fast-moving exchange of strikes, not a settled end state.
Last week, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding paving a path to end the conflict. Marshall pointed to that step as evidence that the United States was moving toward its goals, and he tied those goals to “no nukes for Iran, no forever wars.” He said, “I think we’re doing what we need to do, making great progress here and again working toward those goals.”
Marco Rubio framework
Marshall also cited a separate framework agreement for peace between Israel and Lebanon brokered last week by Marco Rubio as part of the same broader push. He said, “Let’s root for the Trump team for once, rather than try to tear them down.” Marshall linked the foreign-policy track to a domestic fight over a housing affordability bill and the SAVE America Act, saying, “Housing is part of the puzzle, but this is classic Donald Trump negotiation style.”
Marshall said Donald Trump was not backing down from his promises to make life more affordable for Americans by halting the signing of the housing bill until Congress passes the SAVE America Act. The House and the Senate passed the housing affordability bill, while the SAVE America Act would overhaul elections by requiring voters to present IDs at the polls and handing state voter rolls to the federal government to check for noncitizens. Marshall said, “We can have both.”
The immediate question is whether the United States and Iran stick to the memorandum of understanding after the latest exchange of strikes. Marshall said the U.S. would answer if Iran struck again, so the next move now rests on whether that ceasefire language survives the next attack.
