John Kennedy, a Republican senator from the U.S. state of Louisiana, speaking to CBS News, said about the Islamic Republic’s rejection of a proposal by Trump: “This proposal wasn’t serious. The president rejected it. We have to continue what we’re doing—sanctions and containment.”

Kennedy said: “The truth is that if you’re being fair, Iran is a severe, open wound, and the public and private sectors of Iran are held together with tape and spit.”

He added: “The Strait of Hormuz is at least partly closed, and this has affected the price of oil, and oil is in everything, including gasoline. This situation is extremely painful. We must either find a way to resolve this issue and reopen the strait, or escalate the tension.”