Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., did not rule out supporting the deployment of U.S. ground troops in Iran, telling NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that “we’ve got to be able to know what the objectives are and what they’re actually carrying out.”
Asked by moderator Kristen Welker whether he would support President Donald Trump sending troops into Iran, Lankford said it was important to “finish” the job.
“To be very clear on this, the worst thing that can happen is to be able to have this kind of conflict start and to not end it, to leave it undone. We’ve got to be able to finish this,” he said, pointing to Iran’s history of supporting attacks against Americans.
Asked later to confirm that he was not ruling out supporting U.S. troops in Iran, Lankford said it “depends on what boots we’re putting on the ground.”
“If this is special forces to be able to carry out a specific operation — get in, get out — that’s very different than long-standing occupation,” he said.
Thousands of additional U.S. troops are arriving in the region, according to a social media post from U.S. Central Command. NBC News reported last week that Trump approved the deployment of more than 1,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East.
NBC News previously reported that Trump is weighing options for putting U.S. troops on the ground, including plans aimed at securing the Strait of Hormuz, retrieving Iran’s highly enriched uranium or seizing Iranian oil facilities to deprive the government of finances and extract concessions.
Earlier this month, Trump said he was “not putting troops anywhere” but added that if he were, he would not tell reporters.
Asked Sunday whether Trump needed congressional approval to deploy U.S. troops in Iran, Lankford hedged, saying it was “contingent” on how the troops were used.
“If we had a long-standing war that’s happening, go back again to what happened in Iraq or in Afghanistan, yes,” Lankford said. “If this is to protect Americans and to be able to make sure that we’re in there for a season and we’re stopping and getting out, that’s very, very different. So again, this is all contingent.”
Senate Republicans have previously rejected multiple war powers resolutions aimed at limiting Trump’s ability to launch further military action 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 outlets. Earlier this month, Trump said his administration was requesting the funds “for a lot of reasons, beyond even what we’re talking about in Iran.” He added that he believed the Pentagon is “being very judicious” with the request.
On Sunday, Lankford said the “key focus” for Congress will be that funding request. “That’s the moment that Congress always engages.”
“When the additional funding request comes in, Congress will have to speak at that moment to be able to talk about how far, what the plans are, 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 has “gotten us into what will be looked at as one of the greatest blunders, presidential blunders of our time.”
Booker criticized the administration for not asking Congress for approval, arguing that Trump was “pushing us further and further into a conflict with no foreseeable off-ramp and thousands of more troops moving into that region.”
“He still has not come to Congress for any kind of authorization for what is clearly not just a war, but the biggest military engagement we’ve had since the war in Afghanistan,” he said.
Booker questioned the administration’s plan, saying, “This has been the problem from the start.”
