Lindsey Graham Calls Iran Missile Strike On Al Asad Base An ‘Act Of War,’ Warns Tehran To Back Down
Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham — a top GOP ally to President Donald Trump — reacted to a ballistic missile attack on two military bases in Iraq that house U.S. soldiers, warning the country to back down or face extreme consequences.
According to The Hill, Graham called Iran’s attack an “act of war” during an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, shortly after it was confirmed that the strike took place. Graham also insisted that, contrary to what his Democratic colleagues have previously said about further military actions against the country, Trump has the full legal authority to respond appropriately to tonight’s attack.
“The president has all the authority he needs under Article II to respond,” Graham told Hannity.
The Pentagon released a statement following widespread reports of the surprise missile strike on Al Asad base in Iraq and the other attack in Irbil, claiming Iran “launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against U.S. military and coalition forces in Iraq.”
“It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. military and coalition personnel at Al-Assad and Irbil,” the Pentagon added in the statement.
The attacks have been referred to as retaliatory in nature, given the recent surprise U.S. drone strike which resulted in the death of Iranian military commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Iran vowed retaliation after the strike, but at the time didn’t offer specifics as to how they would respond.
The Trump administration claims that the drone strike that killed Soleimani was to prevent “imminent” plans by the commander that would have resulted in American deaths.
Graham explained to Hannity that the president should continue to focus on a deal that would prevent Iran from pursuing nuclear arms. He also suggested that Trump should pay attention to the country’s ballistic missile program and the country’s alleged backing of various terrorist organizations.
The South Carolina senator also told Hannity that he’d spoken with the president in the wake of Iran’s Tuesday night response, offering a stark warning to the country with concern to any future moves they might consider making against the United States.
“If you’re watching television in Iran: I just got off the phone with the president. Your fate is in your own hands in terms of the regime’s economic viability. You continue this… crap, you’re going to wake up one day out of the oil business,” Graham said.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Trump posted a tweet in the aftermath of the Iranian missile attack and said that he plans on delivering a statement about the matter on Wednesday morning.
