WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered new details Monday on why the Trump administration chose to strike Iran this past weekend.
Ross Ketschke reports live from Capitol Hill, where Rubio is briefing top lawmakers.
Rubio said a major factor in the decision was U.S. knowledge that Israel was planning its own attack on Iranian targets. The U.S. joined in a preemptive strike to limit American casualties.
“If we stood and waited for that attack to come first before we hit them, we would suffer much higher casualties,” Rubio said.
Rubio said the administration knew any Israeli attack would likely prompt retaliation against U.S. forces across the region.
“We were aware of Israeli insertions and understood what that would mean for us and we had to be prepared to act as a result of it, but this had to happen no matter what,” he said.
The strikes have sparked divisions among Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill. Opponents are demanding proof that Iran posed a direct threat to the United States.
“I’m going to be very clear. There is no intelligence that shows an imminent threat to Americans from Iran,” said Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colorado.
Supporters argue the action was necessary. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called it “the most consequential decision of (Trump’s) presidency” and said the president acted correctly.
Cruz also reassured that “you are not going to see a major U.S. troop presence in Iran. He and I talked about that on Friday.”
Lawmakers in both parties are preparing votes this week under the War Powers Act that would limit the president’s authority to carry out further strikes without Congress’s approval. Neither bill is expected to pass, but lawmakers say they want to force members to take a clear stance.
“And not another single American life should be lost before Congress has had the ability to actually weigh in,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., House Democratic leader.
Rubio added that while Israel’s strikes have already killed Iran’s supreme leader and other top officials, the hardest hits are yet to come.
South Florida lawmakers are expected to be briefed in the coming days. Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez, who serves on the House Homeland Security and Armed Services Committees, will be among the first to receive updates.
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