[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 14 (Thursday, January 25, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S258-S259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                  Iran

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, earlier this week, the American people 
received the tragic news that two Navy SEALs died during a nighttime 
raid near Somalia.
  Somalia is a world away from here, but what happens in that region 
has a direct impact on us here at home because one of these Navy SEALs 
was from the great State of Texas.
  These men and their brave comrades were seizing a vessel that was 
carrying Iranian-made arms intended for Houthi rebels in Yemen.
  I know, after 9/11, there was a famous country-western song--I think 
``Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)''--and one of the 
lines was, `I don't know the difference between Iraq and Iran.'
  Well, the truth is, the American people have had to learn a lot about 
world geography, unfortunately, because things that happen far away 
from our shores have a direct impact on us and on the potential for 
regional war or worse to break out.
  The Houthis, as some may know, are a terrorist group. They occupy 
Yemen, which is south of Saudi Arabia and right next to Oman. You may 
have to get out your maps to place it. But this is a terrorist group 
that has been engaged in a civil war in Yemen for many years now and 
has attacked Saudi Arabia and has been subject to retaliation by Saudi 
Arabia and the Emirates for some time now. But, unfortunately, they 
have proven to be enormously resilient.
  They have a disturbing ideology. They are known for their saying 
``God is great. Death to America. Death to Israel. Curse on the Jews. 
Victory for Islam.'' That is their motto. There is no mystery about 
their intentions.

  In the wake of the invasion by Hamas on Israel on October 7, the 
Houthis have escalated their attacks in the region--again, supplied by 
Iran with weapons that they have used not only to attack Saudi Arabia 
but also to try to attack Israel and American forces in the region.
  They have launched dozens of drone and missile attacks on commercial 
ships traveling through the Red Sea and bound for the Suez Canal. This 
is an area of the world where international commerce is so important. 
Goods that flow between the Red Sea and the Suez Canal do everything 
from provide us with the commodities that make our lives better to 
provide the energy necessary for countries around the world. The U.S. 
Central Command described these attacks as a direct threat to 
international commerce and maritime security.
  The Houthis only have the resources to carry out these attacks 
because of the support they receive from Iran. Like Hamas, another 
Iranian proxy, the Houthis and other terrorist groups in the region are 
armed, trained, and funded by Iran.
  On the evening of January 11, a heroic group of Navy SEALs seized a 
vessel carrying ballistic missiles and cruise missile components 
destined for Houthi forces. They prevented the Houthis from receiving 
even more weapons that could be used to target U.S. forces or 
commercial ships in the region.
  Now, you can imagine that boarding an enemy vessel is a dangerous and 
difficult mission, but doing so in the dead of night, in rough seas, 
while loaded with heavy equipment, is even more perilous.
  While boarding the ship, Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan 
Gage Ingram, a Texan, fell into the Arabian Sea. Following SEAL 
protocol, Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher Chambers 
heroically jumped in, trying to save him. Well, unfortunately, the U.S. 
Navy and our allies have now conducted a thorough search and rescue 
operation, covering more than 21,000 square miles over 10 days, but 
sadly their bodies were never recovered.
  These men represent the very best of our country. They exemplify the 
courage and selflessness that generations of American servicemembers 
have embodied. Our hearts go out to the families of these brave Navy 
SEALs who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.
  But this is a reminder of the immense risks our servicemembers face 
every single day. They sacrifice time away from their loved ones and 
place their lives on the line to keep our country safe. Given the chaos 
unfolding around the world, which seems to be getting worse and worse, 
the threats they face continue to grow.
  As we all know, in recent months, the tensions in the Middle East 
have escalated dramatically. As I mentioned, Hamas carried out an 
attack on Israel on October 7. In Israel, they call this their 9/11--
like the attack on September 11, 2001, that killed 3,000 Americans. The 
Houthis are disrupting, as I said, global commerce and freedom of 
navigation. Iranian-supported proxies in Iraq and Syria are attacking 
U.S. forces. Hezbollah, in Lebanon, is launching constant attacks on 
northern Israel.
  Terrorist threats are intensifying throughout the Middle East, and 
the common thread uniting all of these attacks is Iran. Iran is the 
head of the octopus, and its tentacles of terror extend throughout the 
region. There is Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in 
Lebanon, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza and the West Bank, and 
Shiite militias in Syria and Iran. Iran provides its terrorist proxies 
with funding, weapons, and training to enable the types of attacks we 
have seen in recent weeks. This chaos threatens to destabilize the 
Middle East even further and possibly start a much wider conflict.
  Given the growing tensions in the Middle East, one of America's top 
priorities must be to reestablish deterrence. Iran needs to pay a price 
for using its proxies to attack the United States and U.S. interests.
  This is absolutely vital to the future of Israel. Iran is a country 
driven by a dangerous ideology that calls for the destruction of 
Israel, and it will bleed the Iranian people dry in order to sustain 
that fight.
  But, as we know, Iran's ambitions do not end with Israel. The Supreme 
Leader once labeled the United States as Iran's ``number one enemy.'' 
Until recently, Iran felt intense pressure from the United States. The 
Trump administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and placed 
sanctions on hundreds of businesses and individuals who helped finance 
Iran's illicit activities. It also brokered the historic Abraham 
Accords, which served as a major blow to Iran as like-minded nations in 
the region normalized their relationship in order to counter their 
common adversary: Iran.
  The maximum pressure strategy dissolved as soon as President Biden 
took office. It seems to be the guiding philosophy of President Biden 
that if President Trump did it, President Biden will undo it, and that 
is what happened here.
  Less than a month into his Presidency, President Biden made the 
foolish decision to remove the government designation of the Houthis as 
a terrorist group. Given the brazen attacks that I have mentioned, 
President Biden has now reversed that decision last week but only 
partially. The President has only redesignated the Houthis as a 
``Specially Designated Global Terrorist.'' He also failed to reclassify 
them as a ``Foreign Terrorist Organization,'' as they were before 
President Biden took office. The truth is, I doubt this will have any 
impact on the Houthis. Unfortunately, it is just one of many examples 
where President Biden's weakness toward Iran has not provided greater 
peace and stability but more dangerous circumstances. It actually has 
emboldened our adversaries.

[[Page S259]]

  President Biden has made no secret of his intent to revive the Iran 
nuclear deal while Iran continues to enrich uranium. If Iran gets a 
nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia won't be far behind and other countries in 
the region will try to figure out how they can defend themselves 
against the No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism that now, instead of just 
missiles and drones, has a nuclear weapon. You can imagine what might 
come from that set of circumstances, and it is frightening.
  Then the administration has loosened sanctions on Iran's oil sales. 
Iran's economy, not surprisingly, has rebounded. China--that imports 
about 70 percent of their energy needs--has now entered into a 
strategic partnership with Iran because they need the oil that Iran 
produces along with the oil and gas produced by the Russian Federation.
  Of course, we all know President Biden carried out the disastrous 
withdrawal from Afghanistan without even consulting our friends and 
allies, which created a power vacuum in the region that is now being 
filled by--you guessed it--Iran.
  The administration unfroze billions of dollars in Iranian assets, 
giving Tehran even more money to pour into its terrorist proxies. It 
failed to take quick and decisive action to respond to Iran's attacks 
on U.S. forces in Syria. In other words, it is not enough for us or 
Israel to attack proxies. We need to go after the head of the octopus, 
not the tentacles. President Biden has consistently projected weakness 
when it comes to Iran. They understand weakness, but they also 
understand strength. This administration has steadily loosened the 
pressure valve, and now we are seeing the consequences with an 
emboldened Iran.
  Appeasement is not a viable strategy. It never has been and never 
will be, particularly when these countries understand nothing but 
strength. If they experience mush, it is, in fact, an incentive or 
provocation for them to keep doing what they are doing.
  President Biden should have known from the beginning. He served in 
the Senate as the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee for many, 
many years. He is worldly wise, but he seems incredibly naive when it 
comes to what it takes to deter state sponsors of terrorism like Iran.
  The only way to counter the growing threat is by reestablishing 
deterrence. That can only be achieved through strong and decisive 
leadership and reciprocal counterstrikes not on the proxies alone, but 
on the head of the octopus.
  Sadly, President Biden has spent the last 3 years projecting this 
image of weakness and uncertainty. Given the chaos Iran has unleashed 
in the Middle East, it is time for a swift change in strategy. 
President Biden needs to work with Republicans and Democrats in 
Congress to confront threats from Iran and reestablish a credible 
deterrence in the Middle East. Iran needs to understand that attacks 
against the United States and our allies will not be met with kid 
gloves. Until that happens, Iran and its proxies will continue to 
escalate their attacks and threaten the possibility of even a wider 
war.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. PADILLA. I ask unanimous request that I am able to complete my 
remarks before the beginning of the vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.