Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) said Sunday he would not support military action against Iran on its own soil at this time, as threats continue to grow against U.S. troops in the Middle East .
CBS’ Margaret Brennan asked Vance on “Face the Nation” whether he would authorize President Biden’s use of force against Iran as attacks on U.S. troops increase in the Middle East.
“Right now, absolutely not,” Vance said. “I think we should try to defuse the situation. Of course we need red lines. If the Iranians attack American troops, if they play…”
“They’ve done it several times,” Brennan interjected.
“If they play an escalating role in the conflict, we must be prepared to respond,” Vance continued. “They attacked, some militias attacked and I think we did the right thing, a proportionate response. If they hit us, we have to respond to them, but if you are talking about an attack on the Iranian mainland, I think that would be a significant escalation at this time, it would be a mistake.”
Biden ordered US military forces on Friday to execute “self-defense airstrikes” on a weapons storage facility and ammunition storage area used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups in eastern Syria.
There have been at least 19 attacks against U.S. and coalition forces in the Middle East over the past two weeks, including four times in Syria and 12 times in Iraq. There were also three new attacks on Thursday.
Iran-backed proxies have stepped up attacks on U.S. troops overseas following Israel’s retaliation against Hamas following its October 7 attack on Israel. Although Iran has long been known to support the militant group in the past, the United States has said it sees no evidence of a direct role in the deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Thousands of people on both sides, including many civilians, were killed in the ensuing fighting between Israel and Hamas.
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