Was there an imminent threat from Iran? Senator calls for Trump to explain war goals

0:00Senator Mark Warner:Two days of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes have caused remarkable damage in Iran.

0:09Senator Mark Warner:In this video, published by U.S. Central Command, mobile batteries launch missiles. The attacks have killed hundreds inside the country, according to Iranian state media, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran and other high-ranking officials. I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military, police to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death. That is President Trump speaking on Sunday. Now, before this all began, the U.S. was engaged in talks with Iran over their nuclear program and had planned for more. Then the strikes came.

0:50Senator Mark Warner:Now, the U.S. government says that attacks, such as this one, from a U.S. Navy warship destroyed Iranian naval vessels, command centers, and ballistic missile facilities in strikes across the Middle Eastern country. We have no problem with the American people. And we believe that this is not their war. This is the U.S. administration's war of choice. We were talking with Americans. We were in the middle of the negotiations. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Ismail Bagai on Sunday. This is an unjust war imposed on our nation, and we have no other choice other than fighting against this injustice.

1:26Senator Mark Warner:Iranian retaliatory strikes targeted U.S. military installations in the region, in Israel, and in neighboring countries like the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Kuwait. Three U.S. Army soldiers were killed and five more wounded in Kuwait on Sunday. We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen. And sadly, there will likely be more. Consider this. The conflict in the Middle East has now taken lives on both sides. And it does not appear to have an ending in sight. The United States and Israel are at war with Iran. And it's a war that Congress never voted on.

2:21Senator Mark Warner:From NPR, I'm Emily Kwong.

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3:42Senator Mark Warner:It's Consider This from NPR. In Washington, reactions to the strikes on Iran are deeply divided. The opinions do not split cleanly on partisan lines, though most of those supporting the strikes are Republicans and most of those against are Democrats. Virginia Senator Mark Warner is a Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He posted online after the attacks began that he had, quote, seen no indication there was any immediate threat to Americans from Iran. Senator Warner, thank you so much for your time. Thank you, Emily. I want to start by playing a new video statement that the president published today.

4:21We're undertaking this massive operation not merely to ensure security for our own time and place, but for our children and their children, just as our ancestors have done for us many, many years ago. This is the duty and the burden of a free people.

4:41Senator Mark Warner:So the president speaks of this war as duty and burden. What is your reaction to that, Senator? Well, first of all, Emily, I am down in Hampton Roads, part of Virginia, where most of the sailors who are in the conflict area are from. Literally, I had four events today, half the crowd in every one of these events, new people who were deployed. And they have no idea why their sons and daughters are being put in harm's way. You know, the president a week ago said this was about Iran's nuclear activities, which he had claimed had been obliterated seven months ago. He then switched to saying this is about Iran's ballistic missile capacity.

5:28And now in the last 36 hours, he says it's about regime change. Why are these sons and daughters now casualties, some of them, in harm's way? What is the essential criteria for America being in this war? You know, I can tell you as somebody who is part of the Gang of Eight, there is and was no imminent immediate threat from Iran against America. So why take this action now is the question I'm getting from the parents and friends of sailors deployed, and I don't have any answer for them.

6:08Senator Mark Warner:President Trump said in this statement, quote, sadly, there will likely be more referring to U.S. casualties. What do you make of that? Well, I make up with the fact that this is a war of choice chosen by Donald Trump in the Middle East where our record has not been great. Again, there was no intelligence that showed an immediate imminent threat. That should be normally the criteria. Matter of fact, if the president had chosen to take action back in January when the Iranian people were on the streets in record numbers, he would have more of a case. But he couldn't do it then because the aircraft carrier that was needed was off the coast of Venezuela.

6:53And our allies that would be normally supportive were concerned rightfully about Trump's plans on Greenland. The moment is – it's incredibly fraught. The moment is fraught, but remember the president has also recently said to call for the Iranian people to rise up.

7:13Senator Mark Warner:Yes. If the Iranian people rise up right now and the Iranian regime brutally murders them. If they were to rise up, if the Iranian people were to rise up, would that change your assessment of the situation? Well, listen, I am glad and shed no tears about the Iranian leadership being destroyed. I mean, this is an awful, awful regime. But if the president is now saying to the Iranian people, rise up, does the American, do we then have an obligation if the Iranian military brutally murders them after our president called for them to rise up? What obligation do we have? In many ways, this timetable of this strike now was because he made similar comments in January and was not able to execute because of his other military forays.

8:06So I think it's incumbent upon the president to make the case to the American people, to make the case to Congress, to seek a level of declaration of war. This is not something where the president had to respond to, again, the notion of an imminent threat. That this is the president having a war of his choice and he needs to get the assent of Congress and the American people.

8:29Senator Mark Warner:Let's talk about the options that Congress has. Your fellow Virginia Senator Tim Kaine is one of those pushing a war powers resolution. The Constitution gives the Congress power to declare war, which it hasn't given for any of Trump's use of force. Those efforts have not yet passed and not all Democrats are publicly on board. Are there any indications this time could be different? Listen, I would support Tim Kaine's effort. I think it is important that we should not cede all power to this president to arbitrarily make decisions about where we deploy forces. Again, I just wish the media, I wish the president's supporters would listen to the families of the sailors and soldiers deployed.

9:12Senator Mark Warner:Who you met today in Hampton Roads. Who I met today. Who are very concerned. And are saying, you know. I hear that. When is my son or daughter coming back? that many of these sailors have been deployed now for well beyond the normal six months. What is the plan? And are we about to engage ourselves in an endless war that may not only cost American lives, but American treasure when we have many of our munitions are actually at a relatively low level at this point? Senator Warner, with the 30 seconds we have left, as a member of the Gang of Eight, who's a bipartisan group that's privileged information.

9:49Senator Mark Warner:Based on the intelligence you have, how does this now play out? I wish I knew. I do know this. There is no, there was no imminent threat to America. So if the president chose to go to war, he owes the American people in the Congress what his goals are. And those goals have, there's at least three different goals he's laid out literally in the last five days. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, thank you so much. Thank you. This episode was produced by Henry Larson. It was edited by Patrick Jaron Watananan and Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan.

10:36Senator Mark Warner:It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Emily Kwong.

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