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Business Insider
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Insider
Iran has been hurt but is still a 'considerable' threat to US forces in the Middle East, says US admiral
Iran still poses a "considerable" tactical threat to US forces in the Middle East despite strikes on its nuclear and military sites by Israel and the US, a top admiral told Congress on Tuesday. "At the tactical level, I think they've been degraded," Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, deputy commander of US Central Command, said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. "I think the degree to which that degradation has taken place, particularly in the last 12 days, is best discussed in a classified forum," he added. But he said that Iran possesses "considerable tactical capability," one element of which was visible in the missile attack on the US military base of Al Udeid on Monday. Iran attacked the base, located in Qatar and the US's largest in the region, with missiles that were foiled by Qatari air defenses and caused no deaths or injuries. The attack came a day after the US launched a major strike on Iranian facilities linked to its nuclear program, using GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs for the first time in combat. In a press briefing Sunday, Gen. Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said US forces fired around 75 precision-guided weapons in total during the operation, which targeted facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. President Donald Trump said the strikes had destroyed the nuclear facilities. The White House pushed back on reports on Tuesday that the sites were only damaged. A tentative ceasefire between Israel and Iran is currently in place, but there are concerns that it may not last, and that Iran could resort to other tactics to fight back. Iran retains a large ballistic missile stockpile, and Cooper said that while its proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza have been reduced in strength, its network of regional militias remains a threat. "The thing I think we need to do right now and that we are doing, with clarity, is making sure our men and women are safe in the Middle East," he said. The US has around 40,000 military and civilian personnel in the region, and bolstered its military presence there with the deployment of the USS Nimitz. Cooper added that: "We've got to be in a three-point stance, ready to go every single day."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US strikes on Iran draw support from GOP leaders, concerns from Dems
President Donald Trump's decision to launch airstrikes against Iran nuclear facilities this weekend drew immediate condemnation from congressional Democrats but initial support from key Republicans who saw the move as necessary. 'Our commander-in-chief has made a deliberate — and correct — decision to eliminate the existential threat posed by the Iranian regime,' said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., in a statement. 'We now have very serious choices ahead to provide security for our citizens and our allies and stability for the Middle East.' The military assault — dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer — included bunker-busting bombs and Tomahawk missiles launched from multiple American assets, including B-2 bombers flying from American soil and submarines operating in the region. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said Trump 'made the correct decision to strike Iran's nuclear sites' and warned Iranian leadership that 'it would be a grave mistake to attempt any retaliation against our forces or homeland.' US troops, bases in Middle East could be targets in conflict with Iran But Rogers' Democratic counterpart on the committee, ranking member Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., noted that Trump did not seek authorization from Congress ahead of the military action or 'demonstrate that Iran posed an immediate threat' to the United States. 'Engaging in direct conflict places U.S. service members and military sites in the Middle East squarely in the crosshairs of Iran and its many proxies,' Smith said in a statement. '[The] actions could further escalate tensions, destabilize the region, and drag the United States into an avoidable war.' Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., called the decision 'a massive gamble by President Trump, and nobody knows yet whether it will pay off.' He also expressed concerns about potential retaliation against U.S. military forces, particularly the roughly 40,000 personnel stationed in the Middle East. 'We must be prepared for retaliation — both in the short and long-term, on the battlefield and asymmetrically,' Reed said. But reaction to the military assault also cut across party lines. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., a member of the House Intelligence Committee, issued a statement calling the bombings 'critical and decisive action to protect America, freedom and democracy at home and around the world.' Typically vocal Trump supporters Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Kent., and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., both took to social media to criticize the decision to attack Iran. 'This is not Constitutional,' Massie wrote. In recent days, a coalition of Democratic critics and Republican non-interventionists have pushed to revisit presidential war powers, as a potential check on Trump's ability to engage in military action overseas. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., one of the lead voices in that effort, said in coming days he will 'push for all senators to vote on whether they are for this third idiotic Middle East war.' But finding enough votes to constrain Trump's military authorities is unlikely in the Republican controlled House and Senate. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that leaders from key congressional committees received notice of the strikes Saturday night, after the planes were safely out of Iranian airspace. Lawmakers said they will push for more information on the planning and execution of the strikes starting Monday, when they return from a long holiday weekend. Officials from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement about the air strikes that their forces will consider 'options that go beyond the delusional calculations of the aggressor coalition' in their response to the American military attack. Reporter Noah Robertson contributed to this story.
CNBC
5 days ago
- Politics
- CNBC
U.S. intel found Iran did not move nuclear material from Fordo ahead of attack, Sen. Mullin says
U.S. intelligence found that Iran did not move nuclear material from its Fordo facility before American bombers blasted that site, despite a report to the contrary, Sen. Markwayne Mullin said Monday. "They are claiming that they moved some material," Mullin said, referring to Israel and Iran, respectively. "Our intelligence report says they didn't," the Oklahoma Republican said in an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "In fact, we actually believe they stored more of it in Fordo because they believe Fordo was impenetrable," said Mullin, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "They thought it was a safe place to be." But, he added, "We have the ability to destroy things that people think were undestroyable. And so we think we did a really good job." "However," Mullin warned, "if we find that we didn't completely destroy Fordo's nuclear production capabilities, "we will be working with our allies to finish the job, or we will finish the job." The Fordo facility, which is located 300 feet below a mountain southwest of Tehran, was hit by American air strikes on Saturday. President Donald Trump said the strikes targeting Fordo, as well as two other nuclear facilities at Natanz and Isfahan, had "completely obliterated" Iran's major enrichment facilities. The New York Times, in a report Sunday, cited two unnamed Israeli officials with knowledge of the situation who said Iran appeared to have moved uranium and equipment from Fordo before the U.S. attack. But Mullin on Monday said that the U.S. had "severely damaged, if not completely destroyed, their ability to have a nuclear weapon." "We have a really good handle on what we've destroyed," he said. "We have made it very clear, President Trump has made clear for ten years, that we will not allow Iran, the world's sponsor of terror, to have a nuclear weapon any way whatsoever," he said. Mullin said that did not mean the U.S. would insert American troops into Iran. "That means that we can do this through the air, and work with our allies to finish the job," he said. "And I believe that we may have to work with Israel to continue to maybe get rid of some of their stockpiles as things come up." Mullin's comments raise the prospect of a more sustained U.S. engagement in the conflict between Israel and Iran than Trump is publicly discussing so far. The president did not seek authorization from Congress before undertaking the strikes over the weekend. But pressure on the White House to more fully engage with Congress could grow this week, especially if it appears the United States is preparing for a second major U.S. military action.
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Business Standard
7 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Trump wins immediate praise from Republicans after announcing Iran strikes
Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, said Trump has made a deliberate and correct decision to eliminate the existential threat posed by the Iranian regime AP Washington Congressional Republicans and at least one Democrat immediately praised President Donald Trump after he said Saturday evening that the US military bombed three sites in Iran. Well done, President Trump, Sen Lindsey Graham of South Carolina posted on X. Texas Sen John Cornyn called it a courageous and correct decision. Alabama Sen Katie Britt called the bombings strong and surgical. Oklahoma Sen Markwayne Mullin posted: America first, always. The Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, said Trump has made a deliberate and correct decision to eliminate the existential threat posed by the Iranian regime. Wicker posted on X that we now have very serious choices ahead to provide security for our citizens and our allies. The quick endorsements of stepped up US involvement in Iran came after Trump had publicly mulled the strikes for days and many congressional Republicans had cautiously said they thought he would make the right decision. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Saturday evening that as we take action tonight to ensure a nuclear weapon remains out of reach for Iran, I stand with President Trump and pray for the American troops and personnel in harm's way. Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson were briefed ahead of the strikes on Saturday, according to people familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it. Johnson said in a statement that the military operations should serve as a clear reminder to our adversaries and allies that President Trump means what he says. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford said he had also been in touch with the White House and I am grateful to the US service members who carried out these precise and successful strikes." Breaking from many of his Democratic colleagues, Sen John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, an outspoken supporter of Israel, also praised the attacks on Iran. As I've long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS, he posted. Iran is the world's leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities. Both parties have seen splits in recent days over the prospect of striking Iran. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican and a longtime opponent of US involvement in foreign wars, posted on X after Trump announced the attacks that This is not Constitutional. Many Democrats have maintained that Congress should have a say. The Senate was scheduled to vote as soon as this week on a resolution by Virginia Sen Tim Kaine requiring congressional approval before the US declared war on Iran or took specific military action. Connecticut Rep Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House intelligence panel, posted on X after Trump's announcement: According to the Constitution we are both sworn to defend, my attention to this matter comes BEFORE bombs fall. Full stop.
New Straits Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Congress members split over US attack on Iran
WASHINGTON: Republican and Democratic members of the US Congress delivered swift reactions to US bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities early on Sunday. The following are statements from key lawmakers: Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, applauded the operation but cautioned that the United States now faced "very serious choices ahead." Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, Republican of Idaho, said, "This war is Israel's war, not our war, but Israel is one of our strongest allies and is disarming Iran for the good of the world." Risch added, "This is not the start of a forever war. There will not be American boots on the ground in Iran." "This is not constitutional," conservative Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky said on social media. He was referring to the power of Congress to declare war on foreign countries. US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican of Louisiana, said, "The president gave Iran's leader every opportunity to make a deal, but Iran refused to commit to a nuclear disarmament agreement." "The president's decisive action prevents the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, which chants 'Death to America,' from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet." Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said, "I stand with President Trump." Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, a daughter of Palestinian immigrants: "President Trump sending US troops to bomb Iran without the consent of Congress is a blatant violation of our Constitution. The American people do not want another forever war. We have seen where decades of endless war in the Middle East gets us - all based on the lie of 'weapons of mass destruction.'" Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said the US public "is overwhelmingly opposed to waging war on Iran" and said Trump displayed "horrible judgment." Max Rose, a former Democratic member of Congress who now is a senior adviser to the progressive veterans' group "VoteVets," said, "Trump's decision to launch direct strikes against Iran without congressional authorisation is illegal." Rose added, "This conflict is his and the Republicans who have abrogated all their responsibilities." - Reuters
