Sen. Rand Paul Randal (Rand) Howard PaulRand Paul says he can't judge 'guilt or innocence' in Breonna Taylor case Overnight Health Care: Health officials tell public to trust in science | Despair at CDC under Trump influence | A new vaccine phase 3 trial starts Health officials tell public to trust in science MORE (R-Ky.), a close ally of President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE who has supported the president’s desire to pull U.S. troops out of the Middle East, says national security adviser John Bolton John BoltonMaximum pressure is keeping US troops in Iraq and Syria Woodward book trails Bolton, Mary Trump in first-week sales Ex-NSC official alleges 'unprecedented' intervention by White House aides in Bolton book review MORE is a “malign influence.”

Paul, who believes the U.S. should reduce its military presence in Syria and Afghanistan, says he is alarmed by the recent mobilization of U.S. combat troops to counter what some Trump officials see as a rising threat posed by Iran.

Asked about Bolton’s role in the recent deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group and an Air Force bomber task force, Paul said, “I fear that he’s a malignancy, a malignant influence on the administration."

Paul believes that Bolton is in a camp of hawks who may be pushing Trump in the direction of war.

ADVERTISEMENT

The New York Times reported Monday that acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan Patrick Michael ShanahanHouse Armed Services chairman expresses confidence in Esper amid aircraft carrier coronavirus crisis Boeing pleads for bailout under weight of coronavirus, 737 fallout Esper's chief of staff to depart at end of January MORE presented a military plan to Trump at a meeting last week calling for the deployment of 120,000 troops to the Middle East, at Bolton's request.

“My concern is that there are people that will overreact to this intelligence and somehow get us involved in a military conflict from which there’s no turning back,” Paul, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Thursday.

He cited another Times report that the White House escalated its warnings about a potential attack from Iran or Iranian-backed forces based on photographs of missiles being transported to boats in the Persian Gulf.

“The question is that’s being done in reaction to our increased presence there and our naming all of the Revolutionary Guards as terrorists, is this a reaction to our policy or is it simply an aggressive policy saying we’re going to start war,” Paul added. “Iran knows you don’t start a war with the United States.”

Trump said Thursday that he hopes the U.S. does not go to war with Iran.

Paul told reporters in a conference call later Thursday that he’s worried that the military buildup could increase the chances of a confrontation that spirals out of control.

“I think the most important thing is to put the administration on notice that they do not have congressional permission to go to war with Iran and we need to make sure we’re not involved in anything that is provocative enough to encourage a skirmish that leads to a bigger war,” he said.

Paul added that the U.S. should defend its troops and diplomatic facilities and send a clear signal to Iran to expect retaliation if it attacks U.S. interests.

But he added, “provocation can occur on both sides and we need to be wary.”