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[Pages S63-S64]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IRAN
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I had planned to discuss the corrosive
political games that the Speaker of the House continues to play with
the solemn issue of Presidential impeachment, but the deadly serious
events of yesterday evening threw those political squabbles into the
starkest possible relief.
I was troubled but not surprised by reports that Iran fired ballistic
missiles at U.S. forces in Iraq last night. As I have warned, the
threat posed by Iraq has been growing for years, and this threat will
continue even beyond the death of Tehran's master terrorist, Soleimani.
We must remain vigilant in the face of serious threats posed by
Tehran. Apparently, these strikes did not kill or wound Americans, but
they demonstrate the significant progress Iran has made over the last
decade in building a large, long-range, and accurate ballistic missile
force. Many of us have long cited the absence of any constraint on
Iran's sophisticated missile program as one of the primary shortcomings
of the Obama Iran deal, and this strike stands as a reminder to the
world of this growing threat.
We rightly talk a lot in this Chamber about American interests, but
last night was another stark reminder that Iran and its proxies have
been a cancer on Iraq's sovereignty and Iraq's politics for some time.
Tehran has long shown disregard for Iraqi lives. Just in the last few
weeks, its militia proxies have slaughtered innocent Iraqi protesters,
and it has launched ballistic missiles at its territory. The millions
of Iraqis who have been taking to the streets for months to protest
have understood this perfectly well.
I spoke to the President last night. I am grateful for his patience
and prudence as he and his Cabinet deliberate on how to respond
appropriately to the latest Iranian provocation. As a superpower, we
have the capacity to exercise restraint and to respond at a time and
place of our choosing, if need be. I believe the President wants to
avoid conflict or needless loss of life but is rightly prepared to
protect American lives and interests. I hope Iran's leaders do not
miscalculate by questioning our collective will and launching further
attacks. For our part, I certainly hope our own congressional
deliberations do not give Tehran a reason to question our national
will.
Top officials will provide a classified briefing to Senators today.
As I have
[[Page S64]]
said before, I hope all Senators will wait for the facts before they
pass judgment on the recent strike on Soleimani. Patience, caution, and
restraint can sometimes be in short supply around here, but when
matters of national security are at hand, it is imperative that we seek
out the facts, restrain our partisan urges, and concentrate on
protecting our country.
For this reason, it has troubled me that Speaker Pelosi responded to
the earliest reports yesterday by leaping to blame ``needless
provocations'' by our administration. In other words, she was blaming
the United States.
So let's be clear. We can and should debate how to responsibly
respond to Iranian threats, but the notion that our administration is
to blame for Iranian aggression--that is nonsense. Utter nonsense.
For 40 years since the founding of the Islamic Republic, Iran has
consistently pursued aggression against the United States, against
Israel, and against its Arab neighbors. The question before us is not
who is to blame for the aggression. It is how best to deter and defend
against it.
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