On the recordJanuary 9, 2020
Madam President, over the past year, the Iranian regime has been increasingly aggressive, attacking oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, shooting down a U.S. drone, seizing a British tanker, attacking a Saudi oil facility, attacking U.S. military bases in Iraq, and storming the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The U.S. response to Iran's increasing provocations had been too measured, to the point that we risked Iran's leaders mistaking restraint on the part of America for weakness and encouraging further escalation. Another attack that risked many American lives was in the works when President Trump ordered U.S. forces to take out the terrorist mastermind of the Iranian regime. Now, think about it. Sometimes you have to stand up to a bully to get him to back off or else we might be inviting further aggression. I yield the floor. ____________________
