[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 7, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S40]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                  Iran

  Mr. President, on Friday, we learned that Iranian General Qasem 
Soleimani had been killed in a U.S. airstrike. Iran's terrorist 
activities throughout the Middle East are well known. Iran is a key 
backer of Hamas and Hezbollah and has fomented conflict throughout the 
entire Middle East--escalating sectarian conflict in Iraq, fueling 
civil war in Yemen, and supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's 
brutal regime.
  At the end of December, the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah, or 
KH, as they are called, fired more than 30 rockets at an Iraqi military 
base, killing an American contractor and wounding 4 U.S. troops. Days 
later, Iran-backed protesters stormed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, 
conducting a 2-day siege of the Embassy before withdrawing--although 
not without setting fire to parts of the Embassy's exterior.
  The list of Iranian terror activities is long, and at the center of 
all these activities has been General Qasem Soleimani. As head of the 
Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, General Soleimani has 
been masterminding Iran's terrorist activities for two decades. Iran 
has been linked to one in six military deaths in Iraq, notably through 
the IEDs that have become so emblematic of the War on Terror. This was 
Soleimani's work. He is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of 
Americans and thousands of innocent civilians throughout the Middle 
East. It is a good thing that his reign of terror is over.
  While I hope we can all agree that Soleimani was a just target, there 
are naturally questions about the timing of the strike and what options 
were laid before President Trump. The Senate will be briefed tomorrow, 
and I hope my colleagues and I will be given a clear intelligence 
picture of the imminent and significant threat Secretary of State 
Pompeo and other administration officials have described.
  Soleimani's death provides Iran with an opportunity to change course 
and to rethink its participation in terrorist activities throughout the 
Middle East and its aggression against the United States. 
Unfortunately, Iran doesn't seem ready to take that opportunity, and 
there are rightfully concerns about how Iran might retaliate for 
Soleimani's death.
  Iran has vowed severe revenge, but I hope Iran's leaders recognize 
that the United States will not tolerate Iran's aggressions. The United 
States is obviously closely monitoring any Iranian response or 
escalation, from attempted cyber attacks to threats against U.S. troops 
or citizens or our allies. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General 
Milley, has cautioned that there remains a significant risk, and we 
have seen the Department of Defense and the State Department adjust 
their postures accordingly.
  As I said, with Soleimani's removal, Iran has the opportunity to 
change course. In both Iran and Iraq, we have seen protests bravely 
displaying the desire for a new way forward and, in the case of Iraq, 
for freedom from Iran's malign influence. The path to that new day is a 
difficult one. Soleimani's decades of work building terrorist networks 
will not easily be undone, and his replacement has already been named 
and has vowed revenge.
  In addition, under pressure from Iran, Iraq's Parliament advanced a 
nonbinding resolution calling for the removal of U.S. troops from Iraq. 
I hope that cooler heads will prevail in Iraq and that we can come to 
an agreement that upholds our mutual security interests and is 
beneficial to both the United States and to the people of Iraq. We have 
invested a lot in regional security efforts that we should see through. 
As we know all too well from the rise of ISIS, the consequences of 
leaving a power vacuum can be dire. I hope that power vacuum will not 
be resurrected as the United States suspends counter-ISIS operations in 
order to defend our installations.
  The world may enjoy a degree of closure with the killing of Qasem 
Soleimani. Citizens of the Middle East who suffered at the hand of 
Soleimani's terror may have hope for a safer future, but this will 
require the Iranian regime to recognize the opportunity it now has to 
rid itself of Soleimani's agenda and chart a new course.
  Iran's leadership knows full well the consequences of maintaining its 
vendetta against America, our allies, and those who seek to live in 
peace and freedom. It got a preview of our military and intelligence 
capabilities last week. This is not a call for escalation but a frank 
acknowledgment that the United States will stand resolutely against 
those who threaten American lives.
  While the initial reaction from Iran has not been promising, I hope 
General Soleimani's death will encourage Iran to think carefully before 
it proceeds any further on its path of terror. I look forward to 
talking with the Defense Secretary, the CIA Director, and others 
tomorrow about what we need to do to minimize the threat of retaliation 
and to keep Americans and our allies safe.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.