Rep. Harrigan on Newsmax: Strike on Iran 'Inevitable'

President Donald Trump's decision to launch Operation Epic Fury against Iran was "inevitable," as Tehran continued to refuse to negotiate over its nuclear and missile programs and failed to follow through on commitments, Rep. Pat Harrigan said Tuesday on Newsmax.

"We're working with a country here that has never done what it said it would ever do and could not even come to the table and negotiate some very reasonable terms that President Trump had laid out that would ensure the security of our allies and the strategic interests of the United States of America," the North Carolina Republican, a former U.S. Army Special Forces officer, told Newsmax's "Wake Up Early America."

He noted that Trump has talked many times about how the U.S. is "interested in commerce, not interested in chaos."

"Iran continues to choose chaos, and they chose chaos here again when they walked up from the negotiating table and left," said Harrigan.

The congressman added that the prospect of a nuclear-capable Iran and its expanding ballistic missile program posed unacceptable risks.

"You've got a potentially capable nuclear Iran. That's something that has been a red line of our president for his entire lifetime," he said.

"You've also got an increasing capability to reach out and touch its neighbors with its ballistic missile program," Harrigan said. "It was going to happen one way or another. The only question was, when was this going to happen? And I think President Trump chose to execute at the time that most benefited the strategic interests of the United States."

Harrigan also addressed comments from Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., that the House may vote on a war powers resolution aimed at limiting Trump's authority to take further military action against Iran.

"I think this is just playing politics, and it's partisan politics, and the Democrats are on the wrong side of this one again," Harrigan said.

He referenced disputes over Department of Homeland Security funding and other legislative fights over the past year and said Trump acted within his constitutional authority.

"He complied with the War Powers Resolution. He notified Congress within 48 hours. And that means he's got 60 days to prosecute this conflict," Harrigan said.

He added, "He actually went one step further. And Marco Rubio personally briefed the Gang of Eight on Tuesday, right before the State of the Union address, on what the administration was thinking with regards to Iran and how it was going to move forward."

The congressman framed the strike as part of a decadeslong conflict.

"I want people to understand this is about the future of America," Harrigan said. "We've been at war with Iran for 47 years, whether it was Beirut, the Khobar Towers, U.S. casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan."

He added that the president remains open to diplomacy but is prepared to apply military pressure if necessary.

"The president's not messing around again," said Harrigan. "He is willing to come to the table and make peace. He did that with Iran a year ago before Midnight Hammer. He did it with Venezuela, at least, giving these leaders the opportunity to come to the table."

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