Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) on Wednesday echoed President Donald Trump's latest stance that Iran should be allowed to defend itself and have ballistic missiles, marking a strong pivot from their previous position that these capabilities must be destroyed.
Marshall appeared on CNN after Trump told reporters Wednesday that it would be "unfair" for Iran not to have ballistic missiles "if other countries have them," sharing that stance on "The Source" while discussing the memorandum of understanding Trump has since signed.
"I prefer that they not," Marshall told host Kaitlan Collins about Iran having ballistic missiles.
The Kansas Republican continued, "I certainly don't want them to have long-distance missiles. I don't want them to have nuclear-armed missiles. I would prefer they didn't. But I don't think that's the key issue here. I think that they have to be able to defend themselves."
The war began in February with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes and the stated aim of keeping Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The war led Iran to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil passes, spiking gas prices and fears of a global energy crisis.
Trump announced a tentative memorandum of understanding Sunday between the U.S. and Iran, which he signed ahead of a dinner Wednesday hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles. The deal has upset several GOP hawks on Iran.
The memorandum includes agreements for Iran to "not procure or develop nuclear weapons" and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, for the U.S. to lift its naval blockade there and "terminate all types of sanctions" against Iran, and for both parties to cease military operations "on all fronts."
It makes no mention of the Iranian ballistic missiles program, the destruction of which was previously a central White House objective in the war. Trump has since justified his pivot on that front to the press during his attendance at the G7 summit in France.
Collins asked Marshall twice Wednesday if he thinks Iran should be able to defend itself.
"I do," said Marshall. "I think that they have to be able to defend themselves. Otherwise, we turn this into a forever war. You're never going to get them, short of boots on the ground, of surrendering everything — an unconditional agreement, if you will."
He continued, "But again, what I'm getting at here is this agreement has the support of all of the — most of the countries in the Middle East, and I think that's going to give it more of a long-lasting relationship, a long-lasting success, as well."
Trump said Wednesday that the memorandum will avert "a worldwide depression."
"Also, we run out of [oil] reserves in about four weeks," he told reporters at the G7 summit. "You know, there are reserves all over the world, and we would really run out. And there'll be a time when you wouldn't be able to get it, and you want to see bedlam?"
