‘We’re achieving our objectives’: John Kennedy makes striking claim on Trump’s Iran policy

NEBRASKA: Republican Senator John Kennedy said Sunday, September 20, the US is “achieving our objectives” in Iran, but did not detail them as he defended President Donald Trump’s Iran policy.

Kennedy again predicted the war will end within six months, saying its conclusion would bring lower oil prices and inflation.

He made the remarks in Nebraska while campaigning for GOP Senator Pete Ricketts ahead of the November 3 general election.

John Kennedy leaves Iran objectives unspecified

Kennedy said the US is making progress in Iran, but offered no specifics about the goals he said were being achieved.

“We’re achieving our objectives in Iran, and without going into details, I think we’ll be out of there in about six months,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy said he did not want to get into more detail about Iran during the Nebraska remarks, telling the audience, “We’ll talk about Iran some other time.” 

He nevertheless said the war was the reason for higher oil and fertilizer prices.

The Louisiana Republican then tied the expected end of the conflict to domestic economic conditions, saying oil prices and inflation would fall once the war ends.

“And when that happens, you’re going to see the price of oil go down, and you’re going to see inflation go down,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy also said federal policies backed by Ricketts and other Republicans would help lower the cost of living.

John Kennedy repeats six-month timeline

The six-month prediction was not new. 

On Saturday in Iowa, Kennedy also said he believed the war would be concluded within six months and connected its end to lower oil prices and inflation.

“That is the genesis of the inflation that we have right now,” Kennedy said in Iowa, referring to the war’s effect on inflation.

Kennedy said oil is used in many products and attributed higher fuel costs to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict. 

The Iowa report said average regular gasoline prices there had reached $4.39 per gallon, while diesel stood at $6.21.

The comments came as Kennedy addressed more than 1,300 people at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual fall fundraiser in Des Moines. He was supporting Rep Ashley Hinson’s Senate campaign and defending Republicans’ tax legislation.

Senator Kennedy previously called Iran choices difficult

Kennedy’s comments in Iowa also reflected his earlier position that ending US military involvement through a deal was not required if the alternative was a bad agreement.

In August, Kennedy said on ‘Meet the Press’ that “No deal is just fine. Not preferable, but it’s fine. A bad deal isn’t.” 

He advocated continued sanctions and a blockade against Iran.

“I don’t know whether the president should start a new bombing campaign again, because I don’t have the military intelligence,” Kennedy said at the time. 

He added that renewed bombing could cause pain, raise energy prices and create inflation, calling the choices “hellish.”

Kennedy is campaigning in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska for Republican Senate candidates. 

In Nebraska, he was supporting Ricketts, who faces independent candidate Dan Osborn in upcoming election.