Despite continued military strikes in the Middle East, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared this week that the Iran war is “over.”
The statement came on Tuesday during a budget request hearing, which was also the first time that Rubio was publicly questioned by lawmakers since the administration launched its war against Iran in late February.
Although Rubio’s responses “were to date the most specific to be offered publicly on the U.S. negotiating position,” according to The Washington Post, the hearing provided little reassurance that the administration has a path forward to ending the unpopular war it started three months ago.
In his opening statement, Rubio assured the senators and the public, “Our foreign policy is one that’s solely focused on the national interest of the United States of America.”
This reassertion of the administration’s “America First“ promise seemed to go over well with most Republican senators, including Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho), who began the hearing by thanking Rubio for involving the U.S. in Iran and then asked him broadly for an update on the war.
But Democrats were anything but flattering toward Rubio. In an exchange with Sen. Cory Booker (D–N.J.), who repeatedly pressed Rubio on his claims that “we are winning this war,” Rubio interrupted the senator and bizarrely claimed, “Well, the war is over.”
If this were the case, however, the U.S. would not have to continue launching “self-defense strikes,” and senators would not need to spend an otherwise routine budgetary hearing grilling the secretary of state about an ongoing conflict that has already cost Americans an estimated $100 billion between increased oil costs and military spending, per a recent Moody’s estimate.
Earlier in the hearing, Sen. Chris Murphy (D–Conn.) appeared similarly exasperated with the administration’s mixed messaging on the war. Calling it “the only question that matters for American consumers right now,” he asked Rubio whether the Strait of Hormuz was going to reopen.
“If Iran wants to be able to move its oil again through the strait, they will have to open the straits,” Rubio answered. “If they refuse to do so, then we have other options available to us, but we would prefer to negotiate the opening of this.”
Rubio explained that reopening the strait is the “predicate that opens the door to phase two” of negotiations, which would seek severe limits on or the elimination of Iran’s uranium enrichment activities. Those negotiations would require a team of experts, according to Rubio, and they could take up to 90 days. He clarified that sanctions would not be removed in exchange for opening up the strait.
Rubio’s testimony confirmed what anyone following this shambolic war could have noticed: There is a long way to go before the end of this conflict.
Of course, lawmakers could have checked the administration for waging war without Congress’ approval weeks ago. But on multiple occasions, both the House and Senate refused to do so.
This could change on Wednesday, however, as the House is preparing to vote on a resolution that would force President Donald Trump to either remove U.S. forces from Iran or seek congressional approval for the conflict, according to The New York Times. Some GOP members are “poised to break ranks,” reports Politico, signaling that even Republicans may be growing weary of this entanglement abroad.
