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Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has voted repeatedly for resolutions to withdraw U.S. troops from the military conflict with Iran, told reporters Wednesday that the United States is “worse off” than it was before President Trump launched the war in late February.
“I think the Iran war has not been a success. I’ve been opposed to the Iran war from the beginning. I think by any objective measure we’re worse off than we were before the war,” Paul said on Capitol Hill.
“If you look at the militarization of the Strait of Hormuz, that’s never happened before,” he said. “There’s not an easy way to un-militarize the strait. … From that point of view, I think we’re in worse shape.”
Paul is one of a growing number of GOP lawmakers who fear Trump’s decision to launch joint strikes with Israel against Iran has put the administration and the nation in a difficult position.
Iranian threats against ships in the Strait of Hormuz have caused the price of Brent crude oil to rise to nearly $100 a barrel and the national average price of gas to rise to more than $4 a gallon.
Brent crude futures for July rose nearly 5 percent on Thursday after Trump threatened to strike civilian targets in Iran in retaliation for any Iranian strikes against transport ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Compounding the pressure on global oil supplies, Iranian-backed Houthi militants are threatening Saudi oil transport ships in the Red Sea.
“You could argue we have some leverage because we defeated them militarily, which may get a better negotiated settlement, but so far we haven’t seen the advantage play out in negotiations,” Paul said.
Asked about how voters react to Congress spending more money to cover the war costs, Paul said: “I think people are mostly upset about how much things cost.”
Paul said inflation is due mostly to deficit spending under former President Biden but acknowledged “some is related to the war.”
“I’m opposed to the war on many levels, but I’m also opposed to more deficits,” he said. “I weigh that against what it’s doing to the hard-pressed individual who’s working to try to keep his family fed.”
Asked if Republicans will face a voter backlash in November, Paul responded: “Probably.”
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