Senate Republican on Iran war: ‘I think we’ll be out of there in about 6 months’

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) predicted Sunday the U.S. will be “out of” Iran in six months , as the conflict approaches the seven-month mark.

While stumping for Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) in Nebraska, Kennedy acknowledged the war has resulted in price increases for oil and fertilizer. But the Louisiana Republican argued the U.S. has so far been successful against Tehran, adding that economic relief is coming for Americans.

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

The GOP senator added that if voters elect Ricketts and other Republican lawmakers, the federal government will enact policies to “get the cost of living to go down.”

The Iran conflict , which President Trump initially said would end in roughly a month, has passed the six-month mark with no public signs of a deal to end hostilities. The president said Thursday he was weighing whether to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic’s regime or not.

“It’s a big decision. Anything could happen with me,” Trump told Axios .

During the war, the president has threatened to strike civilian infrastructure in Iran and even warned the entire Iranian civilization “will die.” Such actions would qualify as war crimes under international law.

The House last week passed a third war powers resolution to limit Trump’s military authority against Iran, with the number of GOP lawmakers voting in favor of the measure rising from four to seven .

The president and administration officials have argued, though, that the War Powers Act is unconstitutional .

The conflict has come with economic consequences for Americans, particularly at the pump, as gas prices have spiked as a result of the Iranian military restricting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The national average price of regular gas is roughly $4.48 per gallon as of Monday, according to AAA . That is about 37 cents higher than a month ago and roughly $1.50 greater than two days before the U.S. and Israel launched the war.

The cost of the war itself has also risen. The Pentagon told Congress on Aug. 13 that the conflict’s price tag had increased from $37.5 billion in July to $42 billion, a congressional aide told The Hill.