Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said Tuesday that President Donald Trump may ultimately have to resume a full-scale war with Iran following the expiration of an interim agreement between Washington and Tehran.
During an appearance on NewsNation’s “The Hill,” Scott was asked whether Trump should follow through on a threat he issued last month to “bomb and destroy” at least “ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT” near Tehran if Iran fired on U.S. ships operating in the Strait of Hormuz.
“I think he’s going to have to,” Scott told host Blake Burman.
Scott argued that Trump has attempted to avoid further military action and has given diplomacy an opportunity to succeed, but Iran has refused to cooperate.
“Here’s a president that doesn’t like war. None of us do,” Scott said. “Here’s a president that doesn’t want to put troops in harm’s way. None of us do.”
The Florida Republican said Iran has “walked away” from diplomacy and predicted Trump could eventually be forced to take additional action to destroy Tehran’s ability to produce weapons.
Scott acknowledged that Trump has access to significantly more intelligence about Iran than he does and said the president would continue attempting to pursue diplomacy.
However, the senator suggested the Pentagon could act within the next “30 days or so.”
“But do I believe this regime is going to change?” Scott asked. “No, I don’t.”
Trump has pursued economic pressure against Iran through sanctions and the return of a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Roughly 30% of the world’s oil and gas exports pass through the critical waterway, which Iran has effectively closed to commercial vessels.
The president has also threatened Oman as the country negotiates with Iran over an agreement establishing new shipping lanes through the strait.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Monday that “an understanding” had been reached.
Trump, however, delivered a stark warning regarding Oman’s involvement, telling Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s— out of them.” Yingst did not provide audio of the conversation.
Iran has demanded several concessions before reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including an end to the U.S. naval blockade, compensation for damages from the war, the unfreezing of assets and the lifting of sanctions.
Tehran has also criticized Trump’s proposal to make the strait U.S. territory.
Trump told Yingst that he has “no time schedule” for reaching another agreement with Iran. An interim agreement reached between the two countries in June expired Monday.
Tensions continued Tuesday when Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent of being “way out of their league” in efforts to return Tehran to peace negotiations.
“Americans think squeezing Iran harder will win concessions that were never part of the agreement,” Qalibaf wrote on X.
Bessent last week hinted that additional sanctions against Iran are coming, describing them as measures that have “never been seen.”
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