Rep. Ruben Gallego Statement on Developments with Iran
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement in response to reports that President Trump had approved military strikes against Iran in retaliation for downing an American drone but pulled back, against the advice of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton:
"War should always be a last resort, and war with Iran is no different. That's why it's so troubling that we have come so close to it at the direction of some of the exact same people that led us to war in Iraq.
"If the President doesn't like the options he has before him, he only has himself to blame. It was his decision to pull out of the Iran deal without a clue about how to replace it. It was his decision to hire John Bolton, an architect of the failed Iraq War. And it was his decision to alienate and lie to our allies so that they don't trust us.
"The President needs to think about what war means. As an Iraq War veteran, I know it means death, pain, and suffering. It is his responsibility to those he sends into battle that they are sent because there is no other option. Who can honestly say that's where we are now?
"I urge the President in the strongest terms to pull back from his current course."
Rep. Ruben Gallego is a Marine Corps combat veteran. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee.