Pro-regime change US senator hails ‘our' military strikes on Iran
Israel's strikes against Iran amount to US military action despite official denials from Washington, US Senator Ted Cruz has suggested. Tehran has accused America of complicity in Israel's attacks on its nuclear infrastructure.
Israel launched a series of attacks on Iran last Friday, targeting sites linked to its nuclear program and killing scientists and senior military officials. The Israeli authorities described the campaign as 'preemptive,' claiming it was aimed at stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Cruz, a Republican senator from Texas, defended the strikes and called for regime change in Tehran during a tense interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson this week.
'We are bombing the crap out of them. Israel is,' the lawmaker said.
'Right now, this tiny little country the size of the state of New Jersey is fighting our enemies for us and taking out their military leadership, and trying to take out their nuclear capacity,' he added. 'That makes America much safer.'
Iran denies having a military component to its nuclear program and maintains that it does not seek nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said it sees no evidence to support Israel's allegations. US intelligence agencies have offered similar assessments, though President Donald Trump has dismissed these conclusions.
Carlson confronted Cruz over his failure to recall basic facts about the Iranian population, including its size and composition, raising concerns about the senator's support for regime change.
Cruz pushed back, accusing Carlson of being overly skeptical about allegations that Iran had plotted to assassinate Trump – a claim brought up by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an appearance on Fox News last week.
'You don't believe they are trying to murder Trump because you are not calling for military strikes against them in retaliation,' Carlson argued.
'We are carrying out military strikes today,' Cruz replied.
Carlson noted that it was Israel conducting the attacks, to which Cruz responded: 'Right, with our help. I've said 'we.' Israel is leading them, but we are supporting them.'
Carlson highlighted the significance of Cruz's comments, pointing out that they contradict statements made by National Security Council spokesman Alex Pfeiffer, who has denied US military involvement.
Cruz went on to say he hopes Iran's government will fall to a popular uprising – a scenario Israeli leaders have endorsed during the conflict. He added, however, that he would not support sending US troops to occupy the country.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
41 minutes ago
- Russia Today
Israel's war on Iran is not about nuclear weapons
The claim that has been adopted by the United States, Israel and its European partners, that the attack on Iran was a 'pre-emptive' attempt to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, is demonstrably false. It holds about as much weight as the allegations against Iraq's Saddam Hussein in 2003 and this war of aggression is just as illegal. For the best part of four decades, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been claiming that Iran is on the verge of acquiring a nuclear weapon. Yet, every single attempt to strike a deal which would bring more monitoring and restrictions to Iran's nuclear program has been systematically dismantled by Israel and its powerful lobbying groups in Western capitals. In order to properly assess Israel's attack on Iran, we have to establish the facts in this case. The Israeli leadership claim to have launched a pre-emptive strike, but have presented no evidence to support their allegations that Iran was on the verge of acquiring a nuclear weapon. Simply stating this does not serve as proof, it is a claim, similar to how the US told the world Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. Back in March, the US Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard testified before a Senate Intelligence Committee that the intelligence community 'continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.' On top of this, Iran was actively participating in indirect negotiations with the US to reach a new version of the 2015 Nuclear Deal. Donald Trump announced Washington would unilaterally withdraw from the agreement in 2018, instead pursuing a 'maximum pressure' sanctions campaign at the behest of Israel. Despite the claims of Netanyahu and Trump that Iran was violating the Nuclear Deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a report which stated Iran was in full compliance with the deal at the time. If you trace back every conversation with neo-conservatives, Israeli war hawks and Washington-based think tanks, their opposition to the Obama-era Nuclear Deal always ends up spiraling into the issues of Iran's ballistic missile program and its support for regional non-State actors. Israeli officials frequently make claims about Iran producing a nuclear weapon in 'years', 'months' or even 'weeks,' this has become almost second nature. Yet their main issue has always been with Iran's support for groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, who strive for the creation of a Palestinian State. Proof of this all is simple. Israel, by itself, cannot destroy Iran's vast nuclear program. It is not clear the US can destroy it either, even if it enters the war. An example of the US' ineffectiveness at penetrating Iranian-style bunkers, built into mountainous ranges, as many of Iran's nuclear facilities are, was demonstrated through the American failure to destroy missile storage bases in Yemen with its bunker-buster munitions, which were dropped from B-2 bombers. Almost immediately after launching his war on Iran, Netanyahu sent out a message in English to the Iranian people, urging them to overthrow their government in an attempt to trigger civil unrest. The Israeli prime minister has since all but announced that regime change is his true intention, claiming that the operation 'may lead' to regime change. Israel's own intelligence community and military elites have also expressed their view that their air force alone is not capable of destroying the Iranian nuclear program. So why then launch this war, if it is not possible to achieve the supposed reason it was 'pre-emptively' launched? There are two possible explanations: The first is that the Israeli prime minister has launched this assault on Iran as a final showdown in his 'seven front war,' with which he hopes to conclude the regional conflict through a deadly exchange that will ultimately inflict damage on both sides. In this scenario, the desired outcome would be to conclude the war with the claim that Netanyahu has succeeded at destroying or has significantly degraded Iran's nuclear program. He would also throw in claims, like we already see him making, that huge amounts of Iranian missiles and drones were eliminated. This would also make the opening Israeli strike, which killed senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders and nuclear scientists, make sense. It would all be the perfect blend of propaganda to sell a victory narrative. On the other hand, the assumption would be that Tehran would also claim victory. Then both sides are able to show the results to their people and tensions cool down for a while. If you are to read what the Washington-based think-tanks are saying about this, most notably The Heritage Foundation, they speak about the ability to contain the war. The second explanation, which could be an added bonus that the Israelis and US are hoping could come as a result of their efforts, is that this is a full-scale regime change war that is designed to rope in the US. Israel's military prestige was greatly damaged in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, and since that time there has been no victory achieved over any enemy. Hamas is still operating in Gaza and is said to have just as many fighters as when the war began, Hezbollah was dealt significant blows but is still very much alive, while Yemen's Ansarallah has only increased its strength. This is an all round stunning defeat of the Israeli military and an embarrassment to the US. As is well known, Iran is the regional power that backs all of what is called the Axis of Resistance. Without it, groups like Hezbollah and Hamas would be significantly degraded. Evidently, armed resistance to Israeli occupation will never end as long as occupied people exist and live under oppressive rule, but destroying Iran would be devastating for the regional alliance against Israel. The big question however, is whether regime change is even possible. There is a serious question mark here and it seems much more likely that this will end up on a slippery slope to nuclear war instead. What makes the Israeli-US claim that this war is somehow pre-emptive, for which there is no proof at all, all the more ridiculous of a notion, is that if anything, Iran may now actually rush to acquire a nuclear weapon for defensive purposes. If they can't even trust the Israelis not to bomb them with US backing, while negotiations were supposed to be happening, then how can a deal ever be negotiated? Even in the event that the US joins and deals a major blow to the Iranian nuclear program, it doesn't mean that Iran will simply abandon the program altogether. Instead, Tehran could simply end up rebuilding and acquiring the bomb years later. Another outcome of this war could end up being Israeli regime change, which also appears as if it could now be on the table.
Russia Today
an hour ago
- Russia Today
Trump has approved Iran attack plan
President Donald Trump has secretly approved plans for a direct US attack on Iran but has yet to give the order to proceed, The Wall Street Journal reports. Tehran has warned that any military intervention by Washington will be met with 'irreparable damage' to the US. Trump has made direct threats against Iran in recent days, while echoing Israeli claims that the Islamic Republic is developing a nuclear weapon. Iran has repeatedly insisted that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful. The US president is hoping that the prospect of the US joining Israel's nearly week-long bombing campaign will force Tehran to meet his demands for unconditional surrender, WSJ wrote on Wednesday. Trump told senior aides late on Tuesday that he has endorsed plans for an attack on Iran but is waiting to give the final order until it becomes clear whether Tehran will agree to terminate its nuclear enrichment program altogether, the outlet wrote, citing three sources familiar with the discussions. The US president has asked his advisers whether US Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs can penetrate and destroy Iran's Fordow nuclear facility, which is buried deep in a mountain, Axios wrote on Wednesday, citing an anonymous official. Israel lacks the 30,000-pound (13,600 kg) bunker-busters and has no aircraft capable of carrying them. Nonetheless, Israeli officials have stressed that they will not end the conflict while Fordow remains intact. Six US B-2 Spirits, which are currently the only bombers capable of carrying the MOP, are deployed within attack range of Iran at the joint UK-US Diego Garcia base, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Downing Street is concerned that any strikes by the bombers may draw the UK into the conflict, according to the outlet. The US has been concentrating more of its forces in the Middle East in recent days, moving in dozens of tanker planes used for refueling jets in flight and air-defense-capable warships, as well as an additional aircraft carrier group. Trump told the press on Wednesday that he has 'ideas on what to do,' but has not made 'the final decision.' Earlier this week, the president boasted that US jets have unchallenged supremacy in Iranian airspace. He also claimed that killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would be 'easy' and demanded Tehran's 'unconditional surrender.' Khamenei has replied that Iran 'will not capitulate to anyone in the face of coercion.'
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Iran blames IAEA chief's ‘betrayal' for strikes on nuclear sites
Iran has accused International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi of distorting facts in a past report that led to Israel's military strike on Tehran's nuclear facilities, calling it a betrayal of the agency's mandate. In a statement posted on X on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei accused Grossi of issuing a 'biased report' that was used by the US and three European countries to pass a resolution with 'baseless allegations of non-compliance.' In a report earlier this month, Grossi stated that 'Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state in the world that is producing and accumulating uranium enriched to 60%.' However, in an interview with CNN on Tuesday, the IAEA chief said UN inspectors have not found any evidence that Iran was undertaking 'a systematic effort to move into a nuclear weapon.' 'This is too late, Mr. Grossi,' Baqaei said, referring to Grossi's comments to CNN. Baqaei said the report 'obscured this truth' and was 'instrumentalized… to craft a resolution' that was later used by a 'genocidal warmongering regime' to justify 'an unlawful attack' on Iran's nuclear facilities. Grossi's report last week prompted the UN nuclear watchdog's board to declare Iran in breach of its non-proliferation duties for the first time in 20 years. Nineteen of 35 IAEA member states backed the motion, including the US, UK, France, and Germany, citing Iran's failure to explain undeclared nuclear material and growing uranium stockpiles. Iran rejected the decision as 'political' and said it will build a new enrichment site. Russia has argued that the 'biased, anti-Iranian' resolution paved the way for Israel's attacks against the Islamic Republic. Baqaei said Grossi 'betrayed the non-proliferation regime,' demanding accountability and warning that 'misleading narratives have dire consequences.' West Jerusalem has justified its ongoing attacks by claiming that Iran is on the brink of obtaining nuclear weapons. Tehran has denied the accusations, maintaining that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful. Earlier this week, US Senator Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said US intelligence agencies have not seen any evidence that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons – a position unchanged since their last report in March.
