LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Senator Rand Paul visited Lexington on Friday, where he spoke about the Iran War at UK's Patterson School of Diplomacy. He said the venue was fitting, as he believes the war with Iran needs to be ended through negotiations and not escalated military action.
Paul made it clear he believes the war has not been good for the American economy, and he's hopeful that prices will lower once the conflict is done.
"As soon as the war ends, I think gas prices and oil prices will settle down," he said. "Fertilizer prices are also up for farmers. There's a lot of reasons to want the war to be over."
Paul and President Donald Trump have publicly disagreed on the situation with Iran. As Trump has previously called for a complete surrender from Iran, Paul believes that is not likely to happen. To avoid further escalation, like a US invasion of Iran, Paul believes the war needs to be ended through negotiation.
"I'm not for putting troops on the ground. I'm hoping for negotiated peace," Paul said. "It has to be negotiated because even though they're defeated militarily, they still occupy the land and the country and they are the government. So, it's going to have to be negotiated. I am hopeful that the negotiations will succeed. I think the sooner the war ends, the better."
This week, Paul joined US Senate Democrats to vote for the War Powers Resolution. The measure failed, but Paul is hopeful it won't nexxt week as it marks the 60th day deadline for unauthorized military operations to end.
"There are a few more in my party saying 60 days is kind of a limit for them and that they do believe that congress should vote on it at that time, so I think it will be interesting to see," he said.
Paul reminded the public that presidents need to ask Congress for permission when it comes to war.
