Golden Statement on U.S. Strike Against High-Ranking Iranian Military Official

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) released the following statement today regarding the news that an American military strike has killed high-ranking Iranian military leader Qassim Suleimani.

"Qassim Suleimani was a decades-long serious threat to U.S. national security. As leader of Iran's Quds Force, Suleimani was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of U.S. servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan, men and women I fought alongside.

"It remains to be seen whether this strike is in the long-term national security interests of our country. We need more information from the Trump Administration about the circumstances that led the president to authorize the strike— including specific information about the imminent threat the administration was responding to — and its strategy for responding to potential Iranian retaliation and escalation in the region in the coming weeks and months.

"The president's strike on Suleimani raises important questions about his goals and his strategy in the Middle East. After announcing he would withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, the president has tried to force Iran back to the negotiating table through sanctions. These sanctions have been effective at inflicting economic pain on Iran, but have also steadily raised tensions — including attacks on the U.S. and our allies throughout 2019 — leading to increased American troop levels in the region. The president's decision to strike Suleimani will continue this trend. Indeed, today the Pentagon announced the deployment of thousands of additional American servicemembers to the Middle East.

"While his administration sends additional troops to the Middle East, the president continues to promise Americans that he will end what he calls ‘ridiculous' wars in the region and bring our servicemembers home. By promising the American people to reduce our footprint in the Middle East while simultaneously increasing military pressure against Iran, the president undermines both positions.

"The president needs to make his case to the American people — and Congress — for why we should support his strategy toward Iran. If he is being honest with us when he claims that American involvement in the Middle East has been a series of ‘ridiculous endless wars,' then he needs to explain to us why Iran would be any different." – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)

###