Lawmaker tells House Committee on Foreign Affairs Iran has "been at war" with U.S.; praises Trump, recounts MRAP blast
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Summary
A lawmaker speaking to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs described Iran as a longstanding enemy, praised President Trump's recent actions, and recounted witnessing an MRAP explode in Iraq during the surge, using his experience to justify forceful policy toward Iran.
A lawmaker told the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on Monday that "the Iranian terrorist regime has been at war with the American people for nearly 50 years," praising President Trump's recent actions and recounting a battlefield explosion that he said illustrated the threat.
The remarks were framed as a justification for a forceful approach to Iran and grounded in the speaker's stated experience in Iraq. "President Trump's actions are a long time coming, well meaning and well deserved," the lawmaker said.
The speaker said he served "with the United States State Department during the Iraq surge," where he participated in a joint U.S.-Iraqi interagency team aimed at suppressing Iranian-backed militia groups in Baghdad. He described those militias as "very, very bad guys" and said they used explosive-formed penetrators, a type of device the lawmaker said could punch through U.S. armor.
"One day, on a trip to Sadr City, I watched a massive, a massive what's called an MRAP armored personnel carrier explode in front of me from an Iranian bomb and watched as that hulking metal burned to a crisp," the lawmaker said, describing U.S. servicemembers responding to the aftermath.
He went on to assert that the regime "has killed thousands," including Americans in the region, and said, "it's time for them to come to an end." The speaker also called actions by Democrats a "partisan political maneuver," adding that "they should be ashamed for what they're doing to put our servicemen and women in danger." He then yielded back.
The remarks in the committee were delivered without on-the-record responses in the provided transcript. The speaker did not give a name in the transcript; he identified his prior service with the U.S. State Department and repeatedly framed his account as personal experience. The committee record provided here does not show supporting evidence, independent verification, or subsequent responses to the claims in the transcript.
