Republicans call on Trump to ‘finish the job’ while top Democrats warn against resuming hostilities
The failure of negotiations to end the US war with Iran has unleashed a barrage of starkly partisan political responses, with leading Republicans making hawkish calls for Donald Trump to “finish the job” while top Democrats warned that it would be disastrous for the president to resume hostilities.
The former UN ambassador during Trump’s first presidency, Nikki Haley, led the Republican charge. She told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that the current two-week ceasefire was a test of nerves.
“This is like a game of chicken,” she said. “It’s who caves first. The Iranian regime is hoping that Trump will cave. Today, he showed he’s not.”
Haley was alluding to Trump’s threat, made hours after marathon peace talks in Pakistan ended without result, that the US military would blockade the strait of Hormuz to prevent Iran profiting from its control of the narrow shipping passage. She encouraged Trump to “go after Iran where it hurts”, adding that what would “really bring Iran to its knees is to go after it economically”.
