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Rep. Rick Crawford says reported killings in Iran "border on genocide," urges global outrage and congressional readiness
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Summary
In a television interview, Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said reported killings of Iranian protesters "border on genocide" if the cited figure of about 12,000 deaths is accurate and urged international condemnation while calling on Congress to be prepared to act if the president seeks authorization.
Arkansas Republican Rep. Rick Crawford, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said Friday that reports alleging about 12,000 people have been killed in Iran "border on genocide" if the figure is accurate and urged an international response.
The comment came during a television interview in which the host played a clip attributed to Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince of Iran, who said "about 12,000 plus" people had been killed. In the clip, Pahlavi alleged the regime used military weapons such as AK-47s and armored vehicles against unarmed protesters, that bodies were being removed by bulldozers and that families were charged to retrieve remains. Those allegations were sourced in the interview to Pahlavi; they were not independently verified on air.
"If those numbers are accurate, 12,000 killed, this borders on genocide," Crawford said. He described the situation as "cataclysmic" and asked why there had not been stronger outrage from European allies and the United Nations over the reported violence.
Crawford urged that Congress "at least be observing what's taking place" and said lawmakers should be prepared to act if the president seeks congressional authorization or other measures. "If the president asks for some congressional action, we should be prepared to take it," he said, adding that the president was "acting forthrightly and in the interest not only of America, but the Iranian people."
On questions about what might follow if Iran's ruling clerical leadership were toppled, the host cited several possible outcomes — the return of the Shah's son (Reza Pahlavi), the National Council of Resistance of Iran (formerly designated as the MEK), or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seizing control. Crawford said he and Congress "have not been briefed on what the potential outcomes might be" and emphasized that the U.S. should allow "some sort of opportunity for the Iranian people to organically make that decision on their own," while guarding against the IRGC or other groups aligned with terrorists taking power.
The host also noted reports of military base evacuations in the region and said there was growing talk the president might be "on the edge" of taking action. The interview concluded without any new, specific U.S. policy announced on air.
The casualty figures and grisly details cited in the Pahlavi clip were presented as assertions by the exiled prince in the interview; they were not corroborated in the program. Crawford's call for preparedness indicates Congress may be positioned to consider future requests from the White House should the administration seek formal authorization or other responses.
