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Lawmaker says U.S. "hit Iran hard," describes strikes and rescues amid questions about further action
Summary
During a Q&A at the signing event the lawmaker described recent military operations against Iran—saying aircraft and ships were struck, two aircrew survived a helicopter incident, and that U.S. forces degraded Iranian capabilities—comments reporters pressed about whether further strikes on infrastructure were planned.
Reporters asked the lawmaker whether remarks about Iran’s timeline for a deal meant Iran "will have to pay the price." The lawmaker replied that U.S. forces had "hit them hard," described a helicopter incident in which a device lodged in the aircraft did not detonate and praised a rescue of two pilots.
He said unmanned boats and other Iranian maritime and air assets had been struck, and asserted that Tehran’s naval and drone-making capabilities had been degraded. He described the actions as necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and said he had authorized strikes that, in his account, removed or destroyed Iranian ships, planes, drones and leadership elements.
When asked directly whether the United States would strike Iranian infrastructure such as power plants or bridges, the lawmaker said he could do that, and that the U.S. had the capability to "knock out" such targets; he framed current actions as a military operation rather than use of the word "war." He reiterated that the military action was intended to prevent nuclear proliferation and asserted strategic benefits, such as a claimed decline in oil prices relative to a higher projected level.
The lawmaker’s narrative includes several specific operational claims and large-scale destruction figures that were presented without supporting evidence in the event transcript. Reporters pressed for clarifications and operational constraints; the lawmaker characterized the operations as successful and said wounded personnel were rescued.
No independent evidence or corroborating operational reports were provided in the remarks recorded in the transcript; the article reports these statements as assertions made at the event.
