Republican Senator Says ‘I Was Wrong’ When Confronted With Past Claim About Iran

Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) insisted to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that his previous statement about Iran’s nuclear missile program was incorrect, stating, “I was wrong.”

Marshall joined Tuesday’s edition of The Source to discuss the U.S.’s ongoing operation in Iran and President Donald Trump’s justifications for the war. Collins confronted the senator with a clip of an appearance of his on Fox News in June of 2025, where he claimed that Trump’s Operation “Midnight Hammer” had destroyed Iranian nuclear operations for years to come.

Read their exchange below:

COLLINS: We’ve now learned that 140 service members have been wounded. And as you look at that, I think some people ask, why is this happening? Why, why are we at war with Iran right now? And I want something you said last summer, I just want to remember that about the strikes that took place in Iran in June.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARSHALL: I think it will take them years to restart their nuclear program. I think that they can’t control their airspace; they don’t have the will to do it. From what I’ve seen, I’m in shock and awe. You know, it’s just, it’s shocking how much damage we did to their facilities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: You said there that you thought it could be years before they could restart their nuclear program. Did you see intelligence that changed your mind now, on that?

MARSHALL: Look, I was wrong. They were restarting their nuclear program. That’s what– that’s the reports out of the White House that they were actually starting their nuclear program, but I think it goes way beyond this, and you’re absolutely right, there is a cost to war. And I mourn the loss of those seven soldiers with all my heart and pray for those families and the 140 that are injured. Eight of them are serious. Absolutely, I take that to heart. I hate war, once again. But I think you think back to the Iranians killed 241 Marines. I’d been in medical school then. Before that, they kidnapped and held hostage 60 some Americans for 444 days. Over the past several years, 160 attacks by Iranians on American forces as well. There is a price to pay for freedom, unfortunately. And I appreciate soldiers being willing to do that.

COLLINS: Okay, so your view did change from last summer? I mean, we were told that it had been obliterated and that it couldn’t be restarted for years, as you noted, and you believe that was wrong.

MARSHALL: I believe that we obliterated those particular nuclear facilities, but now they were starting nuclear programs in other places. And just their willingness to do that was just thumbing their nose at us.

Watch above via CNN.

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