“Listen, I think the president’s leadership on Iran has been extraordinary,” the Texas senator began before co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin interjected.

“You were very critical of him just two weeks ago, though,” Sorkin said.

“Well, no, I wasn’t,” Cruz replied. “I was critical of voices around him, and there’s a difference there. I think Donald Trump has been clear-eyed from the very beginning. His decision to launch this military attack [against Iran] is the most consequential decision of his second term, and I think it was exactly the right decision.”

Cruz then claimed that he talked to Trump a few days ago and urged him to “hold the line” and “don’t take a bad deal” amid the president’s seesaw of negotiations with the Middle Eastern country. The GOP lawmaker was then asked to identify the people around Trump whom he said he was criticizing, but Cruz didn’t bite.

“Look, there were multiple voices and everyone is leaking and calling reporters — and by the way, it’s not just voices of the administration,” he said. “You have the Iranians who are leaking — you have all these people who are pushing disinformation.”

Cruz, who is reportedly laying the groundwork for a potential 2028 presidential bid, has been critical of Trump in the past. He blasted Trump and Vice President JD Vance over the president’s exorbitant tariff policy during private meetings with donors last year, according to a secret recording obtained by Axios and written about in January.

In the audio, Cruz said he warned the president that he would endure a “bloodbath” in the November midterm elections if prices continue to skyrocket, to which Cruz told donors that Trump responded, “fuck you, Ted.”

Watch a clip from Cruz’s “Squawk Box” interview below.