Trump should resume strikes on Iran
The head of the Senate Armed Services Committee insisted Friday that President Donald Trump should end the ceasefire against Iran and resume bombing the country, potentially fueling a tense situation as the administration works toward a peace deal.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), frustrated with negotiations between Tehran and Washington, said the president should not trust Iranian leaders to honor a deal.
“Our commander in chief should order his capable military leaders to finish destroying Iran’s conventional military capabilities and eliminate all last vestiges of its nuclear program,” he wrote in a social media post. “This is the only way to ensure lasting stability in the region. »
Trump announced Tuesday that he was extending the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to allow negotiations on a peace deal. But U.S. naval forces continue to block ships going to and from Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, and a third aircraft carrier arrived in the region this week.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday that special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, would travel to Pakistan on Saturday to restart negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.
But Wicker, as the top Republican on the powerful Senate military panel, cast doubt on the effort before it even began. He has repeatedly defended the president’s decision to attack Iran, calling it a matter of national security.
Wicker’s comments come amid mixed messages from the administration. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a briefing with reporters Friday morning, alternated between declaring victory in Iran and pledging to inflict “maximum violence” on the country if the president wants to resume hostilities.
“President Trump’s courage is unwavering and his mission is crystal clear,” Hegseth said. “The president repeated it yesterday: we have all the time in the world and we do not want an agreement.”
Wicker promised to hold independent hearings within his committee to discuss the reasons for the war in Iran and its impact on U.S. military preparedness. Authorities have not set a date for the event.
