On April 1, Israel launched an airstrike near the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, killing a total of 16 people including Iranian military officials — Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi was killed in the attack. On April 13, Iran retaliated by launching more than 300 attack drones and missiles at Israel.
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) responded to the news of Iran’s retaliation attack by tagging the President of the United States Joe Biden on Twitter and writing: “POTUS — we must move quickly and launch aggressive retaliatory strikes on Iran.”
US senator calls for war with Iran https://t.co/iNMrsxHeJs
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 14, 2024
American political scientist Tom Nichols, a retired professor at the U.S. Naval War College who specializes in Russia, nuclear weapons, and national security affairs, called out Blackburn’s plea and replied: “US senator calls for war with Iran.”
When reporter Eli Lake of The Free Press suggested that the U.S. shouldn’t “let this crisis go to waste” and should “take out Iran’s nuclear reactors,” Nichols derides the suggestion: “Well, yes, that would be a totally measured and extremely prudent and not at all crazy thing to do.”
Well, yes, that would be a totally measured and extremely prudent and not at all crazy thing to do https://t.co/sVIrw0u1XE
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 14, 2024
Note: In February, Blackburn (as did fellow Tennessee Republican Senator Bill Hagerty) broke with party leadership and voted against critical foreign aid to Israel and Ukraine. Blackburn said at the time, “our border must come first” and warned that humanitarian funding would fall into the hands of “Hamas terrorists.”