Senator Kelly says Trump has no plan to exit war with Iran — The Hill

In the United States, Democratic Senator from Arizona Mark Kelly said that President Donald Trump has no plan for the U.S. and Israeli conflict with Iran and is trying to return to the situation that existed before the war began in February. Kelly said this on ABC News' This Week program, The Hill reports.

According to the senator, the president launched the military campaign without a strategic goal, a plan, time limits, or an exit strategy. Kelly also called for experts, rather than the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, to be involved in negotiations with Tehran. At the same time, he stressed that the United States cannot allow Iran to retain the capacity to create nuclear weapons.

Assessment of losses and the cost of the war

Kelly said that before the conflict began, in his view, Iran was not rushing to create nuclear weapons, the Strait of Hormuz was open, and the United States did not have more than 20 servicemembers killed and 800 wounded. The senator called the current situation a catastrophe and, in his assessment, the result of the president's failed leadership.

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He also described the damage to buildings at U.S. bases in several Persian Gulf countries as significant and said the total cost of the war could exceed $40 billion. An April report by the American Enterprise Institute said that about 70 structures at 11 U.S. military bases in the Middle East sustained $5 billion in damage.

Proposal regarding the Strait of Hormuz

On Saturday, Trump publicly rejected Iran's seven-day proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz and establish a ceasefire. The president said that the United States fully controls the strait, through which about 20% of the world's oil is exported.

Iran effectively closed the strait after the conflict began, which, according to The Hill, caused a record rise in gasoline prices. The American Automobile Association, AAA, reported that the average gasoline price in the United States on Sunday was $4.48 per gallon, while last year's average was $3.14. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Tehran is still awaiting an official U.S. response through intermediaries.