Overview
- In a Fox News Sunday interview, the senator urged President Trump to seize or control Kharg Island, a hub for roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports.
- He compared the potential operation to Iwo Jima and asserted that two Marine Expeditionary Units are sailing toward the island.
- Republicans including Reps. Nancy Mace and Anna Paulina Luna blasted the comments, with Mace saying he should be removed from the Situation Room.
- Veterans and lawmakers highlighted Iwo Jima’s toll—nearly 7,000 U.S. dead and about 20,000 wounded—as a caution against high-casualty plans.
- The administration has not announced a decision on occupying or blockading Kharg as tanker attacks keep the Strait of Hormuz largely closed.