A Republican senator said on Wednesday that ground troops might be needed to reopen a key oil route in Iran, criticizing the current state of President Donald Trump’s war efforts as a “f*cking clusterf*ck.”
Tensions and oil prices stayed high on Wednesday as the U.S. military operation in Iran entered its third week.
Although Trump told reporters on Tuesday that the “war has been won,” many questions remain about the administration’s plan for ending the conflict.
One major issue is reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked for weeks due to unstable oil prices.
Trump had warned Iran over the weekend that it had 48 hours to reopen the strait or face attacks on important Iranian energy sites.
But on Monday, Trump reversed that stance, saying that the two nations had had “productive conversations” – though the Iranian government denied any such talks happened.
The administration continues to say negotiations are ongoing, while Iran insists otherwise.
In the middle of the confusion, several members of Trump’s party have expressed frustration with how the administration is managing the crisis and with the lack of transparency about its war goals.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), head of the House Armed Services Committee, criticized the Defense Department on Wednesday for not giving Congress enough information about the conflict.
“We want to know more about what’s happening, what the options are, and why they’re being considered,” he said.
“We’re just not getting enough answers.”
Another Republican senator went further, telling Semafor that the current situation was a “f–king clusterf–k and entirely predictable.”
“There was a lot of superficial thinking that went into this operation,” the senator said, speaking anonymously.
“It’s like so much that happens right now. A very risk-seeking executive decides to make some risky moves that could turn out well.”
The senator also said that ground troops and diplomacy would likely be needed to reopen the strait, a possibility that some in his party say they won’t support.
On Tuesday, Trump sent 3,000 more U.S. soldiers to the Middle East, following his earlier deployment.
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