Less than an hour after President Donald Trump announced military strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, Alaska Republican Senator Dan Sullivan expressed his support for the decision.
In a written statement shared on social media platform X, Sullivan commended the President, stating, “The terrorist leaders of Iran have, in essence, been at war with the United States for decades — targeting, wounding and killing thousands of American service members for years.”
A former Marine Corps officer, Sullivan has previously advocated for aggressive action against Iran, particularly due to the nation’s support for anti-American militias during the Iraq War.
Five years prior, he endorsed Trump’s decision to assassinate an Iranian military general in Iraq.
Senator Sullivan, along with U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, had previously supported Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from a diplomatic accord designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Despite various international experts and former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard asserting that there is no evidence confirming Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, President Trump has dismissed Gabbard’s viewpoints.
In a recent meeting of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Sullivan reiterated his stance that military action may be necessary to deter Iran.
After the bombing ordered by Trump, he stated, “Making sure the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism never gets a nuclear weapon is part of the work of reestablishing deterrence against Iran, which was lost during the appeasement of the Biden Administration.
This is difficult work, but critical for our national security.
I fully support the President and his national security team in these critical efforts.”
Hours after Trump’s speech on the airstrikes, Senator Murkowski shared her thoughts on the decision.
She praised the focused strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, saying it demonstrated that the international community would not accept a nuclear-armed Iran.
Murkowski commended those involved in executing the mission with precision and professionalism.
A spokesperson for Murkowski indicated that a more comprehensive statement would be forthcoming.
Republican Representative Nick Begich III also discussed the Iran situation in an interview the day before the bombings.
He clarified that he lacked any inside knowledge of impending developments but emphasized that it was Iran’s responsibility to determine its role in the international community.
“I think the ball is at this moment in Iran’s court: Do they want to be a member of the international community or not?” Begich noted.
He elaborated that it is crucial for the international community to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear-armed nation.
“There are already signs they possess hypersonic weapons and are willing to use them. A nuclear-tipped hypersonic missile would be incredibly difficult to intercept,” he warned.
Begich further stated that this capability presents a dangerous situation not only for the United States and Israel but for the entire globe due to Iran’s longstanding hostile rhetoric towards both nations.
He concluded, “When you have a nation saber-rattling like that on a regular basis, actively pursuing a nuclear weapon, it’s a dangerous situation, not just for Israel, not just for the United States, but for the entire world.”
image source from：alaskapublic
