Sen. John N. Kennedy (R-La.) said Sunday that U.S. intelligence “clearly showed that Iran had taken baby steps to restart its nuclear program,” justifying President Donald Trump’s decision to launch a joint military operation against the country with Israel.
“It was producing between 200 and 600 new missiles a month. Its plan was to stockpile enough missiles so that it could destroy the Middle East if we went back in to destroy its nuclear program,” Kennedy said in an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.” “That’s why I say President Trump is not trying to start a war, he’s trying to prevent a war.”
Kennedy responded directly to Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) and other Democrats who have accused the president of starting a “war of choice” without clearly articulating his administration’s aims in the war.
Warner reiterated in a separate interview on Fox that the intelligence he saw indicated no imminent threat to the U.S. or Israel, as the White House has argued, adding that “we have four answers on the purpose of this war.” But Kennedy said the plan he heard from administration officials during classified Senate briefings last week was clear.
