03/17/2026
BREAKING: Republican Congressman tries to argue that Trump sending troops into Iran is not actually “boots on the ground” in a bewildering spin job!
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) went on CNN and gave host Brianna Keilar one of the most head-scratching defenses yet of Trump's Iran war escalation, insisting that deploying a Marine Expeditionary Unit of up to 2,500 Marines to "secure the island” (Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil terminal) does not count as "boots on the ground."
"I believe that what these 2,500 Marines of the Marine Expeditionary Force would be, would be to probably secure the island,” Sessions said. “The island is not, in my opinion, boots on the ground."
Reminded by a bemused Keilar that the island is literally Iranian territory, he backpedaled: "Well, I'm not going to argue that point. As a matter of fact, you're right."
He then pretty much gave away the mission by praising Trump for choosing "not to obliterate the ability to get oil" and instead sending Marines to "secure that to make sure the Iranians don't do themselves in."
Sessions said this is "probably wisdom" and insisted it would not be the same as if the Marines were "inside Iran, where they're in the cities" facing "large areas of population combatants" and "a mess." He claimed he's "against the mess" of urban combat – but apparently, island combat is fine.
So here we have a Member of Congress completely surrendering his dignity with the absurd claim that 2,500 Marines heading toward Iranian soil to seize a strategic island isn't "boots on the ground" because ... it's not in a city? Has he ever heard of, say, Guadalcanal?
This illegal war of choice has already killed more than a dozen U.S. troops, massacred Iranian children, and caused random casualties all over the Middle East. Yet Sessions acts like sending Marines to occupy Iranian territory is just a minor mission that wouldn’t put them in grievous danger.