Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) defended President Donald Trump’s “Mission accomplished” message on Iran, arguing that Washington achieved its initial military objective six months into the conflict.
Cruz Says Initial Mission Is Accomplished
“Well, listen, I think there are multiple missions,” Cruz told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. He said the original goal was to “degrade and eliminate Iran’s military capacity,” adding that “the answer is unequivocally a yes on mission accomplished.”
Cruz claimed the U.S. has “almost entirely destroyed” Iran’s drone and ballistic missile supply, while its “air force is in rubble on the runway, their navy is sunk at the bottom of the ocean” and much of its senior leadership has been eliminated. Trump has made similarly sweeping claims about Iran’s military destruction.
Independent assessments are more qualified. The Associated Press reported that U.S. strikes have significantly degraded Iran’s military capabilities, but the broader conflict remains unresolved, with the Iranian regime still in power and the Strait of Hormuz remaining a major flashpoint.
Fresh Strikes Highlight Continuing Iran Risks
The continuing risk surfaced Sunday, when U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island near the strait, their first military action in about a month. Iran later said it launched missiles at U.S. sites in Jordan.
Cruz acknowledged combat has “largely ceased” but said, “there are occasional skirmishes.”
“The major operation now is the blockade,” he said. “And every day that pressure on the regime grows. I think economic sanctions are powerful.”
Cruz estimated Iran faces “$500 million a day of economic cost” from the blockade, though he did not identify the source of that figure.
The Strait of Hormuz remains central. Before the war, roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil moved through the waterway, Reuters reported. Shipping remains heavily disrupted despite recent U.S. mine-clearing operations.
Trump Steps Up Economic Pressure on Iran
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has shifted toward economic warfare. Treasury launched “Operation Economic Outcast” on Aug. 24, targeting nearly 60 Iran-linked entities, individuals and vessels while threatening facilitators with exclusion from the U.S. financial system.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that Washington expects new secondary sanctions every week as it tries to isolate Tehran financially.
Cruz said that distinction makes Trump’s claim defensible. “So in terms of military objectives, I think that is correct,” he said.
Photo courtesy: lev radin / Shutterstock.com
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