Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Newsmax on Tuesday he has seen no evidence that justifies the United States' involvement in the current military conflict with Iran, saying Iranian expatriates calling for American intervention must incite the change they wish to see in their country.
Appearing on Newsmax's "Ed Henry The Big Take," Paul said one of the central questions Congress must ask before supporting military action is whether the U.S. faces an imminent threat.
"Is it in our national interest to go to war?" he asked host Ed Henry. "Is there a benefit that the country needs? Are we imminently going to be attacked?"
Paul said he has not seen any intelligence indicating that Iran posed an immediate danger requiring an American military response.
"And I don't see any imminent nature of being attacked or an imminent sense that it is in our best interest to be at war in the Middle East," he said.
The senator said claims that Iran was on the verge of deploying a nuclear weapon have been repeated for decades without clear evidence.
"I've seen no intelligence information to say, 'Oh, yes, they were putting the final screws on the nuclear weapon that they were about to launch,'" Paul said.
"Our intelligence agencies have not produced anything that things have changed."
He added that following previous strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, there is little indication the country is close to developing a weapon.
"Well, the Trump administration told us last summer they obliterated their nuclear weapons; they destroyed them," Paul said.
Instead, he suggested Iran may still be struggling simply to rebuild parts of its nuclear enrichment program.
"If anything, they would be struggling to restart their enrichment program," Paul said.
The Kentucky Republican said many voices pushing for U.S. military action are not the ones who would ultimately fight the war.
"I see these expatriates over here, some of them that want to go back and rule Iran," he said.
"They're saying we have to have American GIs on the ground. We've got to have the Americans do it."
If Iran is to change its government, Paul said, the Iranian people themselves must lead that effort.
"If you want to be the leader of Iran, you go back, raise an army, and fight the ayatollahs," he said.
Paul said that while he hopes the Iranian people achieve freedom from the ruling regime, it is not something the United States can impose by force.
"I wish for the best for the Iranian people. I just don't think we can be at war everywhere to free oppressed people and that, ultimately, if you want your liberty, you have to fight for it," he said.
"There would have to be fighting in the streets, and the Iranians will have to fight for their liberty; we can't give it to them," Paul added.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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