Republicans and former Trump administration officials slammed President Biden after he unleashed retaliatory strikes in Syria and Iraq Friday.
President Joe Biden ordered the strikes in response to the attack on Jordan’s Tower 22, which killed three US Army Reserve soldiers and injured more than 40 others.
“These are late. They should have been done more decisively as President Trump did,” Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York told Fox Business host Larry Kudlow. “But, you know, it’s the policy that President Biden has taken towards Iran to try to get back into the failed nuclear agreement, also to allow sanctions to be lifted on the Iranians so they can sell up to 80-$90 billion worth of oil mostly to China, by the way.”
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“Unfortunately, we put ourselves in such a bad position against Iran that we need to come back with much more aggressive force,” Tenney added.
Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, who appeared with Tenney, called for a resumption of economic sanctions against Iran.
“You have to cut the Iranians off economically,” Donalds told Kudlow. “Donald Trump had them cut off economically. He had them really having to scrap things together for that economy, and they couldn’t put money into these proxy fighters throughout the Middle East.”
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces attacked more than 85 targets Friday with aircraft, including long-range bombers, targeting Iran’s paramilitary force and associated groups, according to a military statement.
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“At 4:00 p.m. (EST) Feb. 02, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups,” CENTCOM said. U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from United States.
U.S. assets used more than 125 precision munitions and targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “command and control operations, centers, intelligence centers, rockets,” drone and vehicle storage sites and supply chain facilities belonging to the groups, CENTCOM said. The groups “facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces.”
Hours before the strikes began, Biden attended the dignified transfer of three service members killed in Jordan and met with their families.
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The administration has stated that it holds Iran responsible for the attacks on US troops despite Iran’s denial of any involvement.
However, Tehran funds the groups and supplies them with weapons and training. Officials insist that the United States does not want a war with Iran, but will take the necessary precautions to protect its forces.
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