Sen. James Lankford doesn't rule out supporting ground operations in Iran

Sen. James Lankford did not rule out supporting putting U.S. troops on the ground in Iran, saying in an interview on NBC News’ "Meet the Press" that "we've got to be able to know what the objectives are and what they're actually carrying out."

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., did not rule out supporting the deployment of U.S. ground troops in Iran, telling NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that “we’ve got to be able to know what the objectives are and what they’re actually carrying out.”

Asked by moderator Kristen Welker whether he would support President Donald Trump sending troops into Iran, Lankford said it was important to “finish” the job.

“To be very clear on this, the worst thing that can happen is to be able to have this kind of conflict start and to not end it, to leave it undone. We’ve got to be able to finish this,” he said, pointing to Iran’s history of supporting attacks against Americans.

Asked later to confirm that he was not ruling out supporting U.S. troops in Iran, Lankford said it “depends on what boots we’re putting on the ground.”

“If this is special forces to be able to carry out a specific operation — get in, get out — that’s very different than long-standing occupation,” he said.