Sen. Ted Cruz

I don't believe it will.

I think the president said at the beginning, this is going to be a matter of several weeks.

This is not I don't think the president is envisioning anything that extends forever.

multiple months, much less multiple years.

I think this will prove a very different military involvement than Iraq did.

And that's where this military campaign, I think, is making a difference because you're taking out significant numbers of the IRGC as well.

You're weakening the apparatus the regime has to oppress the people.

And look, weakening the regime, you know, we're at an interesting moment in time because there is a very real possibility in the next six months, we could see new governments in Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba.

And if we end up with governments in those three countries that want to be friends with America rather than our enemies with America,

That would be the biggest geopolitical shift since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Now, let me be clear.

There are a thousand ways that can go wrong.

I'm not being Pollyannish and saying, oh, everything's wonderful.

But on any objective level, the regimes there are weaker than they have been in our lifetimes.

That is a moment of enormous opportunity.

And so...

Look, at some level, it's going to be up to the people of Iran if they want a new government to step up and insist on that.

I do think the president's putting pressure, weakening the regime and weakening the oppressive power of the regime makes them more vulnerable.

And that at the end of the day, I think that increases the safety of Americans.

Unquestionably, though, I will note the Europeans, who are more impacted by the Strait of Hormuz closing than America is, the Europeans have said, well, gosh, we don't like it, but we're not willing to do much about it.