Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) on Tuesday urged President Trump to “say less” following “contradictory” statements about the state of the U.S. conflict and negotiations with Iran.

“Some action had to be taken, if not with this president, maybe previous presidents, but something –– this could not be allowed to continue like this,” Bacon told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead.” “I think the president is on to a strategy of blockade. I also recommend: say less. There should be fewer people talking on this because there’s contradictory messages going out there.”

Bacon added, quoting former President Theodore Roosevelt, “Speak softly, but carry a big stick.”

The full quote attributed to the 26th president is: “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”

The Nebraska Republican said Trump “overpromised” that the conflict with Iran would be short-lived and “tried to go it alone” without Democratic support.

“It’s got to be a bipartisan fight,” he said. “And he should have anticipated a more of a longer-term fight. I really think this is handicapping him now because the Democrats do not wank to work with the president on this, and this needs to be a bipartisan effort.”

Trump on Tuesday posted a picture of the Strait of Hormuz, the passage between Iran and Oman through which roughly 25 percent of the world’s crude oil is exported. In the image, the strait was labeled as a U.S. territory in an apparent effort to double down on his calls to annex it. He had told reporters last week that he would declare the strait to be a U.S. territory “pretty soon.”

“We control it with the blockade, and I like the idea of declaring it a territory,” he told reporters on Monday, adding that Iran “can be a nuisance.”

Iran’s closure of the strait has caused gas and oil prices to rise globally, with the national average for gas in the U.S. at $4.09 per gallon as of Wednesday, according to AAA. At this time last year, the national average was $3.13 per gallon.

“The oil prices are coming down, and they will continue to come down unless we decide to do something far drastic, more drastic than what we’re doing,” Trump said Monday.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on Saturday called on the U.S. to stop indulging in its “delusions” over the strait.

Officials in Tehran have proposed a new deal resembling the proposal in the since-expired 14-point memorandum of understanding urging the U.S. to lift sanctions and end the naval blockade in the strait. The new framework set up with Oman would create new traffic lanes in the strait.

Special envoy Jared Kushner told Fox News on Monday that negotiations between the U.S. and Iran were “more robust” than ever, but Trump said no such negotiations with the Islamic regime were taking place.

“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.

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