Senate majority leader says US has been ‘effective’ in Iran war but needs a plan to end it

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says the United States has been “effective” in the war with Iran but needs a plan to end it.

“They do need a plan for how to wind this down, how to get an outcome that actually leads to a safer, more secure Middle East and, by extension, a stronger national security position for the United States,” Thune tells reporters after returning from a two-week recess Monday.

On Trump’s blockade of ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, Thune says that “penalizing those who do business with the Iranians may get people’s attention,” including China, which depends on energy in the region.

“That probably more than anything else right now, is going to be the key issue to resolving the situation, getting the Iranians to the table,” Thune says.

He also says it’s his understanding that a potential request from the White House to pay for the war has been scaled back, but he doesn’t give a specific number.

Congress is still waiting for the request, which could total hundreds of billions of dollars. The Pentagon sent the White House a request for $200 billion last month, but Trump has not yet asked Congress to approve any new amount for the war.

Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, says the request will be an “inflection point” for Republicans, as Congress will have to vote to approve it. That is a “power that Congress has to influence what happens there,” he says.