GOP lawmaker says Biden waiting too long on Iran response

Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) said President Biden is taking too long to respond to Iran over its connections to groups it is supporting and their aggressions toward the U.S.

“It’s been too long for a while. If you look at the attacks that have taken place since Oct. 7, on U.S. interests, U.S. military, 160 times, what are we waiting for?” Wenstrup said Thursday on “The Hill on NewsNation.”

“When you know that it is Iran that is behind these militias, behind Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis, they’re funding them, they’re providing the training, they’re providing dollars and the weapons as well,” Wenstrup continued.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Iranian-supported militias that have attacked U.S. forces of a coming response. He said it was “time to take away even more capability than we’ve taken in the past” from groups that have attacked the U.S.

“We’ve not described what our response is going to be, but we look to hold the people that are responsible for this accountable,” Austin said. “And we also look to make sure that we continue to take away capability from them as we go.” 

“They have a lot of capability. I have a lot more,” Austin added.

He also noted that the U.S. is still trying to steer clear of a wider conflict in the Middle East, but also that Washington “will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our interests and our people.” 

U.S. troops have faced attacks from groups backed by Iran more than 160 times since October in the wake of the start of Israel’s attacks in Gaza aiming to get rid of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. More than 26,000 people, both civilians and Hamas fighters, have been killed due to the fighting and Israeli airstrikes.

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