Senators Call For Strikes On Iran
Several prominent U.S. senators called for the Biden administration to launch strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran following a drone strike that killed three American servicemembers this weekend. The statements also came with significant criticism of the Biden administration, which the Republicans accused of attempting to appease Iran.
“When the Biden Administration says ‘don’t’, the Iranians ‘do’. The Biden Administration’s rhetoric is falling on deaf ears in Iran,” wrote Graham. The South Carolina senator also wrote on social media that efforts to halt Iranian efforts in the region had failed.
When the Biden Administration says ‘don’t’, the Iranians ‘do’. The Biden Administration’s rhetoric is falling on deaf ears in Iran. https://t.co/A5MwLWBsSj
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 28, 2024
“Hit Iran now,” Graham wrote on social media. “Hit them hard.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) wrote that the Biden administration had “emboldened Iran for years by tolerating attacks on our troops, bribing the ayatollahs with billions of dollars and appeasing them to no end.”
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) said that the “Biden administration’s failed Middle East policy has destroyed our deterrence against adversaries in the Middle East. We need a major reset of our Middle East policy to protect our national security interests and restore deterrence.”
The attack on American forces in Jordan is the sharpest escalation in the Middle East since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack that killed more than 1,200 Israelis. Iran-backed groups have launched more than 100 attacks on American forces across the region, but this strike was the first one resulting in direct fatalities.
The American forces in the Middle Eastern country are there as part of a mission against ISIS. The attack is believed to have been launched from a base used directly by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which Washington deemed a terrorist organization.
In addition, Houthi rebels in Yemen have been launching a series of attacks on civilian shipping and American warships since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The rebels are backed by Iran, as is Hezbollah.
During the last similar situation as today, the United States acted swiftly. In early 2020, an attack by Iranian-backed rebels killed an American contractor. Former President Donald Trump launched an airstrike that killed IRGC leader Qassem Soleimani.
