Jersey City, N.J. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following
statement after U.S. military forces carried oud a round of airstrikes on
Sunday targeting Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria:
“The United States must always take decisive action to protect our
personnel and interests against attacks. I will be seeking more information
from the Administration in the coming days regarding what specifically
predicated these strikes, any imminent threats they believed they were acting
against, and more details on the legal authority the Administration relied
upon. Congress has the power to authorize the use of military force and
declarations of war, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is planning to
hear from the Administration more on these strikes as well as have a broader
discussion on the 2002 AUMF when we return to Washington, D.C.
“Over the past year, Iranian-backed militia groups have
increasingly targeted U.S. persons and assets, including killing Americans and
coalition forces earlier this year and hitting close to the new U.S. Consulate
site in Erbil over this weekend. The United States must continue to work with
Iraqi Prime Minister Khadimi through the framework of the U.S.-Iraqi strategic
dialogue in support of a stable, inclusive and independent Iraq. Moreover, I
continue to urge the Administration to implement a comprehensive strategy towards
Iran that addresses all its dangerous behavior, including ongoing attacks
against the United States in Iraq and actions that undermine the Iraqi
government.”
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