In February 2026, the United States and Israel conducted military strikes against Iran, which resulted in the death of the Iranian dictator, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and started another major war in the Middle East. Five months later, it has become unclear how long this war will last or what the objective even is.
The past few months have seen a nonstop back-and-forth on the status of the war, creating a lot of confusion for the general public. Throughout the war, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital energy chokepoints and an important trading route. The closure of the straight has brought massive inflation to the U.S., with gas price averages rising close to $4 a gallon.
One moment, President Trump says that a peace deal is on the horizon; the next moment, U.S. strikes against Iran intensify. One moment talks about reopening the Strait of Hormuz see progress; the next moment, Iran closes the strait once again.
The Gateway Pundit spoke to lawmakers on Capitol Hill as fears arise that a new “forever war” is brewing in the Middle East and could last for years, even decades.
Senator Josh Hawley, R-MO, is hoping that the war will end very soon, while expressing gratitude that President Trump reimposed heavy oil sanctions on Iran:
Senator @HawleyMO gives his take on the current state of the Iran War, as fears intensify that this conflict could turn into another “forever war.”@gatewaypundit pic.twitter.com/MaOJRTJHtv
— Myles Morell (@MorellMedia) July 16, 2026
“I’m glad the President put oil sanctions back on Iran. I don’t know why we’d want to give them any money. I’m glad the President said that we will never, ever, ever give them a dime of U.S. money,” Hawley told TGP in an exclusive interview.
“These people are unbelievable terrorists. Having said that, I wanna see the fighting stop as soon as possible. So y’know, we’ll see. I think the President’s doing a good job.”
Senator John Kennedy, R-LA, expressed support for President Trump’s handling of the Iran war and believes the president is “doing the right thing.”
“He’s reimposed sanctions on Iran. He’s imposed the blockade again. Iran is effectively going to starve to death. I hate to see it for the Iranian people, but their government they’re as crazy as a bedbug. It’s like dealing with the son of Sam or Charlie Mason,” Kennedy told TGP in an exclusive interview.
Kennedy then called on various allies of the U.S. to pitch in and help out with the Iran war:
“A lot of countries depend on oil that comes through the Strait of Hormuz, and they should be helping us. The other Middle Eastern countries, Saudi Arabia has planes and guns, and so does the UAE. They should be helping. Europe should be helping. It’s not just an American problem, it’s a world problem.”
WATCH: @SenJohnKennedy expresses his sorrow for the loss of his colleague and friend, @LindseyGrahamSC.
Kennedy tells the @gatewaypundit he believes President @realDonaldTrump is “doing the right thing” in his handling of the Iran war and calls on our allies to help out more: pic.twitter.com/9rW2TTWQro
— Myles Morell (@MorellMedia) July 16, 2026
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-FL, took the opportunity to criticize the war in Iran, calling it an “illegal war.”
“It shouldn’t have even started to begin with, you know? Americans are paying for this at the gas pump. We’re paying for it with our tax dollars. Innocent people are dying,” Frost told TGP in an exclusive interview. Frost then decided to throw in a negative comment about President Trump:
“This is the guy who said he wouldn’t put us in more forever wars. So it’s just another tick in the thing of politicians lying to people and people having no faith in our system. It’s pretty disgusting.”
Rep. @MaxwellFrostFL criticizes the Iran war, calling it an “illegal war.’
Frost takes a swipe at Pres. @realDonaldTrump:
“This is the guy who said he wouldn’t put us in more forever wars. It’s just another tick in the thing of politicians lying.”@gatewaypundit pic.twitter.com/yUymYzHNDf
— Myles Morell (@MorellMedia) July 16, 2026
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-VA, called on President Trump to “figure out a diplomatic solution” and end the war soon.
@morellmediaThoughts?♬ original sound – morellmedia
“He needed to do that back in February, and he got impatient, decided to go to war instead, when he didn’t have the buy-in of Congress or the American people,” Subramanyam told TGP.
“The first thing I would do if I were him is come to Congress and get approval for this war. The second thing I would do is figure out a way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and it seems that’s a difficult thing for him to do these days.”
Unlike Frost and Subramanyam, Senator Roger Marshall, R-KS, urged the country to stand behind President Trump and insisted that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons:
“I think this is a time to stand behind our President, a time to support our troops, and at the end of the day, we cannot let the Iranian theocracy have nuclear weapons. So to some extent it’s up to them, but I do think it’s time for us to take action,” Marshall told TGP in an exclusive interview.
“Look, I hate war, just like President Eisenhower said, ‘I hate war only as a soldier who lived it,’ but the consequences of Iran having nuclear weapons is something that’ll have an impact for generations to come. I just wish someone else had taken care of this before, but now it falls upon us.”
President Trump promised the American people a quick end to the conflict back in February, but that is starting to seem unlikely as the conflict drags on and peace is uncertain. The more time that passes, the less confidence there is that this will be a quick and easy conflict.
Will this war end very soon, or are we headed into a repeat of the decades-long previous conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan?
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