Wicker backs Trump ending Iran talks, resuming military action

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Monday he would support President Trump abandoning diplomatic negotiations with Iran and resuming “full-scale war,” accusing Tehran of bad faith dealings.

“It’s becoming clearer and clearer that they’ve been stringing us along and that they had no intention of negotiating in good faith,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) told Jewish Insider. “I wouldn’t blame the president at all if we resume full-scale war. I don’t think the American people would blame him at all.”

Wicker’s comments follow a sharp escalation over the weekend, in which Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel in response to Israeli Defense Forces operations in Beirut. The senator, who has expressed skepticism for weeks about U.S. negotiations with Iran and urged a return to combat operations, also weighed in on Trump’s subsequent pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold back retaliatory strikes, encouraging a tougher stance on Tehran.

Separately, Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) said that while both Israel and the United States are responsible for their own sovereign decisions, the core alliance should not be damaged.

“Israel is a sovereign country. They can make their own decisions. We’re a sovereign country, we can make ours,” Budd said. “We can make recommendations to either, and they’re a great ally. We need to make sure we maintain the status of them being a great ally.”