WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement in response to reports that President Trump is considering a variety of military strike options against Iran following a significant buildup in the Middle East:
“Less than one year after the United States bombed Iran’s nuclear program, President Trump has deployed a massive concentration of air and sea power within striking distance of Iran, threatening military action. The president and his administration have not tried to explain whether their goal is to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, protect Iranian protestors, pursue regime change, or simply distract from his failure to deliver on his promises at home.
“Congress and the American people need answers about what our objectives are in Iran. Americans spent 20 years bogged down in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that cost trillions of dollars and thousands of American lives. We all deserve to know what President Trump’s objectives are, how they will make Americans safer, and how any military engagement will end.
“To be clear, the repressive regime of the Iranian mullahs and the ayatollah have been a threat to the region and the U.S. for decades, and Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. However, risking the lives of American service members by bombing the country yet again in hopes that this is the attack that will finally compel them to abandon their nuclear ambitions is not a strategy. President Trump needs to make clear to the nation that he has a real plan, and he must seek the consent of Congress and the American people.”