Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said Sunday that President Trump has no intention of launching an attack on Iran, just hours after the commander-in-chief called off planned military strikes against the Islamic Republic.
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Lankford told host Shannon Bream that Trump remains committed to reaching an agreement. “The president's still focused on trying to be able to get a deal,” the senator said.
Lankford, a close ally of the administration, stressed that while the U.S. possesses overwhelming military superiority, the White House prefers diplomacy. “We have the capability to be able to bomb them back to the Stone Age, but there's no desire to be able to do that,” he said. “We use military force, and the president's been very careful on using military force only to be able to get them to the table to actually negotiate.”
His remarks came after Trump announced late Saturday that he had scrapped a planned strike on Iranian targets, citing a request from Tehran and other Middle Eastern nations to pursue a diplomatic path. In a post on Truth Social, the president said Iran had agreed to the “perimeters” of a deal, which he outlined as the “Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT” and an end to Iran's nuclear threat.
Trump wrote that he had canceled the attack “for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran,” and added that the Israeli government supports the move.
The U.S. and Israel launched a military campaign in late February aimed at eliminating Iran's nuclear capabilities. The conflict has since disrupted global energy markets, with Iran's restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz driving up gasoline prices. According to AAA, the average cost of a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. is now about $1.10 higher than it was two days before the conflict began.
Lankford said the two key elements of any deal—reopening the strait and curbing Iran's nuclear program—are reasonable demands. “These should not be unrealistic expectations for any civilized nation,” he said.
However, the senator acknowledged that past attempts to secure a deal have faltered, as Iranian officials have repeatedly dismissed Trump's overtures. He described the Iranian government as a “lying, deceptive dictatorship.”
“Usually diplomacy is the best way to be able to resolve it long term,” Lankford said. “But when you have to use force, to get people to do diplomacy, you have to use force.”
The situation remains fluid, with Trump insisting that U.S. forces are “locked and loaded” should negotiations collapse. The administration's approach has drawn mixed reactions, with some lawmakers urging caution and others pushing for a harder line against Tehran. As the standoff continues, the impact on global energy markets and regional stability remains a key concern.
