Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said Saturday on Newsmax's "America Right Now" that President Donald Trump "wanted diplomacy to work" with Iran but ultimately turned to military force after Tehran refused to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Reacting to U.S.-led strikes under Operation Epic Fury, Mullin framed the action as both overdue and avoidable.
"He believes in peace through strength. He wanted diplomacy to work. It didn't work," Mullin said.
"And so now he's having to turn to strength, and we will eliminate the threat."
Mullin, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Trump had been "very, very clear" that Iran would never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon and that Tehran had grown "more and more emboldened" after years of U.S. presidents "turning a blind eye."
"For 47 years, the ayatollah and his murderous regime has been chanting 'Death to America,'" Mullin said.
"It wasn't if they were going to hit us; it was when."
He argued the stakes extend beyond regional security, noting that "20% of the world's oil is shipped right past Iran every single day" and warning that shutting down key waterways could cause "huge disruption on the world economy, plus the United States economy."
Still, Mullin emphasized that Trump initially sought a peaceful resolution.
"We gave the ayatollah multiple opportunities to quit pursuing his nuclear dream," he said. "We can't trust him."
Addressing the Iranian people directly, Mullin said, "This is your time to rise up and take your country back from the ayatollah that has been pillaging your beautiful country."
He added, "We're not at war with the Iranian people. We're not at war with the country of Iran. This isn't about regime change."
To Americans concerned about escalation, Mullin acknowledged the risks but defended the move as preventive.
"We want to be proactive, not reactive," he said, referencing the lessons of 9/11.
"The president is eliminating that option" for Iran to threaten the U.S. homeland, Mullin said.
Responding to Democrat calls for a war powers vote, he said the action falls within presidential authority.
"We haven't declared war on Iran," Mullin said.
"We are taking out a murderous regime that has been constantly attacking the United States, and it is in the United States' interest to do so."
He concluded that while diplomacy was the preferred path, Tehran's refusal left Trump little choice.
"Not under my watch," Mullin said, describing the president's posture toward a nuclear-armed Iran.
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James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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