Sen. James Lankford doesn’t rule out supporting ground operations in Iran

Sen. James Lankford, Republican of Oklahoma, has not ruled out supporting the deployment of U.S. ground troops to Iran, telling NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that “we need to be able to know what the goals are and what they actually accomplish.”

Asked by moderator Kristen Welker whether he would support President Donald Trump sending troops to Iran, Lankford said it was important to “finish” the job.

“To be very clear about this, the worst thing that can happen is to be able to start this kind of conflict and not end it, leave it unresolved. We have to be able to end this,” he said, noting Iran’s history of supporting attacks against Americans.

When asked later to confirm that he was not ruling out supporting US troops in Iran, Lankford said it “depends on the boots we put on the ground.”

“If they are special forces capable of carrying out a specific operation – going in, going out – that is very different from a long-term occupation,” he said.

Thousands of additional US troops are arriving in the region, according to a US Central Command social media post. NBC News reported last week that Trump had approved the deployment of more than 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East.

NBC News previously reported that Trump was considering different options for putting U.S. troops on the ground, including plans to secure the Strait of Hormuz, recover Iran’s highly enriched uranium or seize Iranian oil facilities to starve the government of finances and extract concessions.

Earlier this month, Trump said he “wouldn’t send troops anywhere” but added that if he did, he wouldn’t tell reporters.

Asked Sunday whether Trump needed congressional approval to deploy U.S. troops to Iran, Lankford responded, saying it was “conditional” on how the troops were used.

“If we’re facing a protracted war, let’s go back to what happened in Iraq or Afghanistan, yes,” Lankford said. “If it’s to protect the Americans and be able to make sure that we’re there for a season and we stop and get out, that’s very, very different. So again, it’s all contingent.”

Senate Republicans have already rejected several war powers resolutions aimed at limiting Trump’s ability to launch new military actions against Iran without congressional approval.

At the same time, the Pentagon is reportedly seeking $200 billion for the war, according to the Washington Post and other media outlets. Earlier this month, Trump said his administration was requesting funds “for many reasons, beyond even what we’re talking about in Iran.” He added that he thought the Pentagon “was very judicious” with the request.

On Sunday, Lankford said Congress’ “priority” would be this funding request. “This is the moment Congress always gets involved.”

“When the request for additional funding comes in, Congress will have to speak at that time to be able to talk about the scope, the projects and what we’re going to do,” he added.

In a separate interview on “Meet the Press,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said the Trump administration “led us into what will go down as one of the greatest presidential mistakes of our time.”

Booker criticized the administration for not seeking congressional approval, arguing that Trump was “pushing us further and further into a conflict with no predictable exit and thousands more troops moving into this region.”

“He still hasn’t come to Congress to get any authorization for what is clearly not just a war, but the largest military engagement we’ve had since the war in Afghanistan,” he said.

Booker questioned the administration’s plan, saying, “That’s been the problem all along.” »

“He did not consult Congress. He did not come and make his case to us, to the American people or to our strategic allies in the region,” he said. “He is a president who is failing right now and making things worse for Americans. He is a man of chaos and corruption, and we are seeing it now on a global scale.”

Furthermore, the speaker of the Iranian Parliament declared on Sunday that the country was ready to counter an American ground attack, “while waiting for American soldiers to enter the field so they can set it on fire and forever punish their regional partners.”