RAINBOW CITY — As the Iran conflict enters its fourth week, speculation is mounting that President Donald Trump is preparing to escalate Operation Epic Fury by putting boots on the ground.
U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) said he hopes it doesn't come to that and thinks it's more likely that Israel will send in its troops, if necessary.
"I hope we don't get boots on the ground. I think Israel may put some boots on the ground," Moore said Saturday, speaking to the Etowah County Republican Club during a campaign stop in his run for U.S. Senate.
He added that it was vital that the U.S. help keep the Strait of Hormuz open so oil can continue to flow.
"I'm hoping we don't get boots on the ground, but I will say this. Right now, 80% of our oil comes from Iran. So, you've seen a blip in price, but in the Strait of Hormuz, we cannot allow a tanker to be sunk in that area. Because then it's six months to fix that," Moore said. "We've got to make sure we got the Navy out of the way, Iran's drones out of the way, their Air Force out of the way so ships coming through that crude oil don't get sunk in that pass, because then we can't get energy out for six months.
"So the president's mindful of that, we're trying to work through that. But the war is going really well, the briefings I've had."
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