Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana is cautious in his assessment, as he is also counting on President Donald Trump's help for his re-election. According to him, the government and the Pentagon simply do not take the problems related to Iran seriously enough. "This is as serious as four heart attacks and a stroke. We need clear and honest answers," he was quoted as saying by German public broadcaster ARD.
Republican politicians who are not running for re-election are choosing even clearer words - like Senator Bill Cassidy of Tennessee. When voting in June to continue funding the military mission, he summed up the situation for the US in the Middle East this way: "Iran is strengthened, we are weakened, and so are our allies. 13 Americans have lost their lives. We have spent between $25 billion and $100 billion on munitions – and in doing so, we have lost our ability to provide credible deterrence."
Not a short-term operation, but a war
More and more Republicans in Congress want their voices heard on Iran strategy. What has been going on for six months is no longer a short-term operation, but a real war – and in the United States, it must be approved by Congress.
However, House Speaker Mike Johnson continues to defend Trump: "The government, the commander in chief and the Department of Defense are working on a full congressional resolution. I think we should end this issue altogether.”
A hard line on Iran or peace?
By “ending the issue” we mean a peace agreement. But even that is not an easy sell to Republicans. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, for example, is among those in the party who hope for political payoffs if they take a strong stand against war today. At the same time, however, he also advocates a hard line – for example, against releasing frozen Iranian state assets. “Paying billions of dollars to theocratic fanatics who want to kill us is an extremely bad idea. Unfortunately, the president is getting bad advice. We shouldn't send even a cent to the ayatollah," he was quoted as saying by ARD.
China wins, US weakened
Republicans have another problem with the interim outcome of this war: Trump and the Iranian leadership are mired in a stalemate, and China is the one who benefits the most from it, says political adviser Fareed Zakaria in an interview with CNN.
He sees a new realignment in the Middle East since the start of the war: "The Emirates are getting closer to Israel and Washington. But the larger group, which includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and perhaps Iraq and Turkey, is looking for long-term security through balance - relations with both the US and Iran and China. "That's exactly the kind of regional order Beijing wants," he assures.
No rift yet
The war with Iran has caused serious conflicts between Trump and his party, but it has not yet led to a rift. And among the population, the hard core remains loyal to the commander-in-chief - despite rising gas prices and fading prospects for success.
The real risk for the Republicans is losing the wavering voters they recently won to their side and who are still not feeling much of the promised quick success in Iran. The midterm elections will be held on November 3, in which many seats in the US Congress will be redistributed, ARD points out.
Author: Samuel Yakish (ARD)