New York Legislators Respond to Missile Strikes in Iran

Support for President Donald Trump’s attack on three Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday night was split across party lines.

Nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan were obliterated by the U.S. with the deployment of 14 bunker buster bombs and about 30 Tomahawk land attack missiles. Just two days before the strike, President Trump seemed open to diplomacy, stating that he would decide within the next two weeks on whether to order a U.S. military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

While Democrats criticized the operation, Congressman Mike Lawler (R, NY-17) commended President Trump for “taking swift action to prevent the Iranians from acquiring a nuclear weapon.”

“The Iranians had months to negotiate a deal that would have avoided the need for our strike tonight, but chose not to,” Lawler said. “They learned the hard way which military is the most powerful in the world – ours. We must continue to work with our strongest ally, Israel, in ending the threat of a nuclear Iran once and for all.”

Supporters of the attack said that Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities. The country has been viewed as a threat to the U.S. and its allies since 1983, when it carried out a U.S. Embassy bombing in Beirut and the Beirut barracks bombing, which killed 241 U.S. soldiers. Iranian-backed militias were responsible for thousands of Americans being killed during the U.S. war in Iraq. Iran has often been defiant with the U.S. during any peace negotiations.

Critics maintain that President Trump misled the country with his intentions and fear the military action could draw the U.S. into a larger conflict in the Middle East with ally Israel. Israel first attacked Iranian nuclear facilities on June 13, setting off a conflict between the two countries. Before the attacks, Iran said it would strike at American troops if the U.S. got involved in the conflict.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called out President Trump for carrying out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities without congressional authorization. Schumer said he would be urging all lawmakers to support war powers legislation to block further military action against Iran and called for an immediate vote.

“Confronting Iran’s ruthless campaign of terror, nuclear ambitions, and regional aggression demands strength, resolve, and strategic clarity,” Schumer said. “The danger of wider, longer, and more devastating war has now dramatically increased.”

New York’s junior senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said she has always been “a steadfast champion of Israel” and “long supported efforts to ensure that Iran, the foremost exporter of terrorism in the world, cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.”

However, the senator is “deeply concerned” by the president’s decision to unilaterally launch attacks without congressional approval as required by the Constitution. “No further military actions should be allowed without proper congressional approval,” Gillibrand said.