Kim, Booker don’t want war with Iran

Rep. Andy Kim and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker don’t want armed conflict with Iran.

“Last night’s decision to pull the United States back from the brink of an armed conflict with Iran was the right one. But it was also one that shouldn’t have been needed,” Kim said. “If the President truly believes that rogue elements led the shoot down of a U.S. drone, it only goes to underscore the need for direct military-to-military channels to be established between high-level general officers to promote de-escalation in these moments instead of allowing mistakes or misunderstandings to back our country into another war in the Middle East.”

President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered retaliatory strikes targeting Iran after reports said the country downed a U.S. Drone, but the president called those strikes off at the last minute, citing concerns about Iranian deaths in response to the downing of an unmanned drone.

“For months, this Administration has led us on a march to war, with no off ramp. This is not reality television, where decisions are made in the pursuit of maximum drama,” Booker said. “The President together with his top officials have been bent on escalating an already tenuous situation in the Middle East, with no plan in place to de-escalate tensions. This is a crisis of his own making — his reckless and erratic Iran policy is responsible for this combustible moment.”

Kim, a former national security staffer in President Barack Obama’s administration, sits on the House Armed Services Committee.

“After nearly two decades of nonstop war in the Middle East, I’ve heard from people throughout Burlington and Ocean Counties that they want our leaders do everything possible to avoid more conflict,” Kim said. “This means working with our allies to take steps to promote security while making direct military action an option of last resort. However, even if the intention of a strike is limited, the likelihood that a strike on Iran could trigger a domino effect of attacks in Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria among other hotspots is dangerously high. A regional war would be devastating, and too many young men and women’s lives are at risk to not have a strategy or system for de-escalation at this time.”