President Donald Trump's decision to send a U.S. naval armada toward Iran is meant to increase pressure on the regime and keep Tehran off balance as the White House weighs next steps on Iran's nuclear program, former Rep. Jack Kingston said Sunday on Newsmax.
The approach is effective because adversaries cannot predict whether he will escalate, the Georgia Republican told Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend."
"You don't ever completely know," Kingston said. "He keeps our foreign adversaries off balance because he's not predictable."
Kingston contrasted that with what he described as prior administrations.
Foreign leaders have "kind of known over the years that when President Biden or Obama are saying things, they don't really mean it, they're not going to follow through," Kingston said.
By contrast, he added, "Donald Trump has shown time and time again he will follow through."
Kingston said sending the armada is "a pretty serious move" and framed it as deterrence rather than a push for war.
"The bottom line, though, is we don't want to do it," he said. "Don't make us do it, but we will do it."
Former Rep. Pete King, meanwhile, said the Pentagon would likely be prepared with options designed to deliver maximum impact while limiting risk to U.S. forces.
"I assume that the Department of War has targets that are relatively easy for our people," the New York Republican said. "We have the best Navy in the world."
He suggested cyber operations could also be part of a broader plan.
King pointed to the psychological and diplomatic impact of last summer's U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, saying many observers did not expect Trump to carry them out.
"Nobody, even the most conservative Republicans, really thought that was going to happen," King said, adding that Iran "never thought it was going to happen" either.
He said the effectiveness of those strikes makes Tehran less likely to test Trump again.
"I think there will be a deal," King said.
The conversation then shifted to Ukraine after the host said Trump convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin to pause attacks on Kyiv for a week because of the extreme cold, with U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian officials set for talks in Miami.
Kingston said the weeklong halt is a step in the right direction even if it falls short of a broader agreement.
"No one is walking away from the peace agreements," he said.
"A ceasefire still is a win. It's not completely where we want to be, but we need to have a ceasefire in order to move to the next phase," he added.
Kingston said future negotiations would focus on territory and long-term security guarantees, "a NATO-type agreement, if you will, for Ukraine."
King said any resolution would require sustained pressure on Moscow.
"Putin will never do the right thing for the right reason," King said. "He will only do it for his own survival."
He added that Europe must continue to stand with Ukraine and that "this aggression cannot stand."
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