[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 8, 2020)]
[Senate]
[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

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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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