Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., told Newsmax on Thursday that the United States may rely heavily on Israel to ensure that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons capability.
U.S. and Israeli forces recently launched a coordinated strike campaign against Iran's ruling regime, military assets, and nuclear-related site in an effort to halt the Islamic regime's nuclear weapons capability.
On "Ed Henry: The Big Take," Cramer said the military effort must be paired with a strategy to prevent nuclear materials or advanced technologies from enabling Iran to rebuild its weapons program.
"You bring up a very important part of the discussion that doesn't get talked about a lot, at least in the public, and that is proliferation of those kinds of materials or whatever technologies have already advanced to a certain point," he told host Ed Henry.
Cramer warned that securing nuclear materials will be critical to ensuring the current military action produces lasting results.
"That's going to be critical to keeping the world safe," he said. "Without a doubt."
The senator said international organizations could potentially play a role in monitoring or managing nuclear materials if Iran's capabilities are dismantled, but the practical task of ensuring Tehran cannot use materials or technology it already has to construct nuclear weapons may ultimately depend on intelligence and operational capabilities.
"I think ultimately, hopefully, the United Nations and the International [Atomic] Energy Administration could be part of that, but it's going to take probably some special operators, it's going to take some access," Cramer said.
Israel's intelligence network and military expertise make it a key partner in preventing Iran from reconstituting its nuclear weapons program, he argued.
"I would suspect that we'd lean a lot on Israel and Israel's capabilities in that sense," Cramer said.
He added that other allies in the region could also contribute depending on how the situation develops.
While U.S. forces could potentially be involved in securing nuclear materials or sites, Cramer said he hopes direct American troop involvement can be minimized.
"Maybe it's going to involve some U.S. troops, I don't know. I'd rather not," he said.
Still, Cramer warned that destroying Iran's nuclear infrastructure would mean little if the materials behind the program were left unsecured.
"It would be a very shallow victory to obliterate all of their capabilities, only to have the materials that we know exist there find their way into even worse hands than they were in before," he said.
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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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