Sen. J.D. Vance, a Republican, says that he would not support military action against Iran as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East.
The Ohio senator was asked if he would support President Joe Biden authorizing military force in Iran during an appearance on Face the Nation on Sunday.
The conversation began with Vance criticizing the fact that the Biden administration is funding both sides of the conflict.
"That's what those of us who are critical of the president's posture are really worrying about," Vance said. "We don't want to basically fund two sides of the exact same conflict. Fund Hamas. Fund Israel. It seems like a really bad deal for American taxpayers. Most of all it's just stupid."
Vance said that he does not trust humanitarian aid money to make it to the Palestinian people, to which Brennan explained that it would be handled by international organizations.
Brennan shifted the discussion to Vance's criticism of President Biden's response to Iran and its proxy forces.
"So, spin that forward for me. You're in the Senate. Would you authorize the use of force by the president against the state of Iran?" host Margaret Brennan asked.
“Right now, absolutely not,” Vance said. “I think that we should be trying to deescalate the situation. Of course, we need to have red lines, though. If the Iranians attack American troops, if they play —”
Brennan interrupted, “They have, multiple times.” Ohio Sen. @JDVance1 says he would "absolutely not" authorize use of force from Pres. Biden against Iran now, calling for deescalation.
"If they hit us, we have to hit them back," he says, but an attack on the Iranian mainland "would be a significant escalation" and "a mistake." pic.twitter.com/hjl96XfU8M
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) October 29, 2023
Vance stood his ground and maintained that the US must respond to attacks, but that a significant escalation would be a "mistake."
“If they play an escalatory role in the conflict, we need to be willing to respond,” Vance explained. “They have attacked, certain militia groups have attacked and I think we’ve done the right thing, a proportionate response. If they hit us, we have to hit them back but if you’re talking about an attack on the Iranian mainland, I think that would be a significant escalation right now, it would be a mistake.”
Biden ordered two airstrikes against an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) weapons storage facility and an ammunition storage area in Syria on Friday in response to attacks on military bases over the last two weeks.
