Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy has expressed his frustration with the Trump administration’s inability to reach a deal to end the war with Iran, stating that it is increasingly clear that the US will have to accept a ‘bad deal’ to extract itself from the conflict.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Murphy said that he would support any effort to end the war, even a ‘terrible-bad deal’, as the situation continues to deteriorate, with traffic heavily restricted through the Strait of Hormuz and the US unable to pressure Iran to accept a deal reopening the strait and addressing its nuclear program.
The Wall Street Journal reported that President Trump is considering a concession of defeat on one of his main military objectives, securing an agreement to destroy Iran’s remaining nuclear material and put legal restrictions on Iran’s enrichment and development abilities. Instead, the president has privately floated to aides that he is considering walking away with a deal to reopen the strait that leaves the nuclear issue unaddressed.
Murphy said that such a defeat has already occurred, stating ‘So Donald Trump has lost this war. America is weaker. Iran is stronger.’ He added that the price to reopen the Strait increases by the day, with the supposed deal on the table paying Iran $100 billion a year, one-third of Iran’s entire economy.
The senator emphasized that he and other Democrats should support a ‘bad deal’ if it means lessening economic pain for America in the short term, as the Trump administration has proved unable to deliver more favorable terms. ‘I will support a deal to end this war and reopen the Strait. I am prepared to support a bad deal, to end this war and reopen the Strait, because the only deal that is available, at this point in time, is a terrible bad deal. But the war needs to end because every day that the war continues, America gets weaker, Iran gets stronger, and people here in the United States get screwed, as prices go up, and up, and up,’ he said.
The ongoing conflict has caused oil and gas prices to jump considerably, with the national gasoline price average now sitting more than a dollar higher than it was before the conflict began in late February. The high fuel prices have blunted the summer travel season in the US and around the world, while also driving up food costs and other consumer prices for Americans.
Republicans have sought an exit ramp for the president in regards to the war for months, but Trump has been unable to extract himself from a conflict he once said would be over in a matter of weeks, as Iran continues to play hardball and resist his demands for total capitulation.
