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Republicans rush to extinguish Iran war talk

GOP lawmakers insist that Trump’s show of force is the best way to prevent an immediate Iranian attack, even as a long-term solution to tensions remains elusive.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks on immigration reform in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 16, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RC19026CFA70

Republicans are scrambling to tamp down talk of war with Iran amid increasing concerns that the Donald Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign could inadvertently provoke a conflagration.

With Democrats and right-wing pundits alike warning of a disastrous repeat of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, GOP lawmakers are defending the president as a cool-headed statesman whose show of resolve is the best guarantee against further escalation.

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