Texas Sen. Cruz Declares ‘Mission Accomplished’ In Iran, Cheers Massive Venezuela Oil Deal

Senator Ted Cruz said Sunday that the United States has achieved its core military goals in Iran, defending President Donald Trump’s declaration of “mission accomplished” as the conflict reached its six-month mark.

Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the Texas Republican also praised a newly announced agreement granting the U.S. control of 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil, while pressing for elections in Caracas by the middle of next year.

Moderator Kristen Welker questioned Cruz about Trump’s recent post displaying an image of himself with the phrase “Mission accomplished,” pointing out that the administration had initially predicted the war would last only a few weeks.

Cruz maintained that the military phase had succeeded. “If you look at the initial mission that the Trump administration laid out, which is to degrade and eliminate Iran’s military capacity, then I think the answer is unequivocally yes,” Cruz said. He stated that Iran’s ballistic missile and drone stockpiles and manufacturing sites have been largely destroyed, its air force disabled, its navy sunk, and several senior leaders eliminated.

When Welker asked why roughly 50,000 U.S. troops remain deployed if objectives have been met, Cruz stated that “active combat operations have largely ceased” despite minor skirmishes. He explained that current efforts center on an economic blockade costing Iran roughly $500 million a day.

Cruz advocated for taking further steps toward regime change, arguing that the U.S. should provide weapons to domestic opponents rather than relying on American troops. “Frankly, Kristen, it’s not fair to expect some Iranian protester standing there with a rock to stand up against soldiers with machine guns,” Cruz said. “I believe if we arm the protesters, particularly the Kurds, who had a long history of being effective fighters… let the protesters remove this regime from power, not American boots on the ground.”

The discussion then turned to Latin America following Trump’s announcement on Friday regarding an agreement to take control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil reserves.

Cruz said the agreement “on its face appears to have a really positive economic benefit for America,” pointing to potential long-term drops in gas prices and energy investments by companies like Chevron.

Asked whether Venezuela must hold free and fair elections before the oil arrangement is finalized, Cruz said democratic voting is necessary following the arrest of former leader Nicolás Maduro, though he stopped short of making it a prerequisite for the energy deal.

“I don’t think the timing matters as much of the one versus the other,” Cruz said, adding that he expects the oil partnership to advance rapidly. “I believe they should proceed no later than mid-way through next year. And so my hope and understanding is the administration is working and working rapidly to do that.”