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Sen. Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, spoke out Sunday against President Donald Trump’s threats to bomb Iran, warning that such an attack could backfire as the U.S. government monitors the Middle Eastern country’s response to widespread protests.
During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” Paul said he was not sure whether Iran’s strike “will have the desired effect.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a president say he might take military action to protect protesters,” Paul said. “Certainly, with Soleimani, when the Trump administration hit him, there were massive protests against America. But they are shouting ‘Death to the Ayatollah’.”
“We wish them the best,” he added. “We wish the best for freedom and liberation around the world, but I don’t think it’s the role of the U.S. government to get involved in every freedom movement around the world.”
Trump says we’ll intervene if Iran starts killing protesters: ‘locked and loaded’
Sen. Rand Paul has spoken out against President Donald Trump’s threats to bomb Iran, warning that such an attack may not have the desired effect. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Paul also highlighted concerns about how the Trump administration would distinguish Iranian protesters from law enforcement if the president sought military action.
“How do you drop a bomb in the middle of a crowd or a demonstration and protect people?” » asked Paul.
The Republican lawmaker also warned that an attack on Iran could unwittingly rally protesters behind the ayatollah.
“If you bomb the government, would you rally to your flag the people who are angry with the Ayatollah and then say, ‘Well, God, we can’t let a foreign government invade or bomb our country?'” Paul said.
“It tends to get people to rally around that cause,” he continued. “So I think the protests are directed against the Ayatollah, rightly so.”
Paul added: “The best way is to encourage them and tell them that, of course, we would recognize a freedom-loving government that allows free elections, but bombing is not the solution. »
The pro-freedom senator also asserted that presidents cannot strike other countries without congressional approval.
Senator Rand Paul emphasized that presidents cannot strike other countries without congressional approval. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
“There is a sticking point in the Constitution: we do not allow presidents to bomb countries just when they feel like it,” Paul stressed. “They’re supposed to ask the people for permission, through Congress.”
Protests have erupted in Iran in recent weeks over the country’s economic collapse, and many have begun demanding total regime change as protests continue.
Thousands of people have been arrested, according to reports. Agencies were unable to confirm the total number of deaths due to an internet outage as the country’s leaders seek to suppress dissent, but the Associated Press reported that more than 500 people were killed.
Trump warned Iranian leaders Friday that they “better not start shooting, because we will start shooting too.”
“Iran is looking toward FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The United States is ready to help!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday.
IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER BLAMES TRUMP FOR INCREASINGLY INTENSE PROTESTS
President Donald Trump warned Iranian leaders that they “better not start shooting, because we will start shooting too.” (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Paul has clashed with Trump several times in recent months when it came to military strikes, including against Iran and Venezuela.
He helped the Senate advance a resolution last week that would limit Trump’s ability to carry out further attacks on Venezuela after the U.S. military’s recent decision to strike the country and capture its president, Nicolás Maduro, which the Kentucky Republican said amounted to war.
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“I think that bombing a capital and removing the head of state is, by all definitions, a war,” Paul told reporters before last week’s vote. “Does this mean we have carte blanche for the president to make a decision at any time and anywhere to invade a foreign country and deport people we accuse of a crime?”
Paul also criticized the administration’s military strikes on boats near Venezuela that it accuses, without evidence, of transporting narcoterrorists, raising concerns about killing people without due process and potentially killing innocent people. The senator previously cited Coast Guard statistics that show a significant percentage of boats boarded on suspicion of drug trafficking are innocent.
