Houston Keene 
President Donald Trump declared the Islamic Republic of Iran made a “big mistake” after the commander of their Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a U.S. drone as Republican lawmakers take different stances on a possible military conflict between the two nations.
In response to the news, Trump published a tweet Thursday morning announcing that the Islamic Republic made a “very big mistake” in shooting down a U.S. drone over the Strait of Hormuz.
Check it out:
Iran made a very big mistake!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2019
The military strike by Iran brought up questions of legality regarding the Trump administration’s authority to retaliate under the 2001 authorization to use military force (AUMF).
The State Department’s special envoy for Iran Brian Hook would not answer directly questions about whether or not the Trump administration believed it could use AUMF against Iran during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday, asserting that the administration would “comply with the law” if “military force” was needed to protect “national security interest.”
“If the use of military force is necessary to defend U.S. national security interest, we will do everything that we are required to do with respect to congressional war powers and we will comply with the law,” Hook said.
His testimony came after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee there was “no doubt” that there was a “connection” between “Iran and al Qaeda.”
Republican lawmakers are split on whether or not the president has the authority to retaliate to the attack without congressional approval.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) — who sits on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — told reporters that he believes Trump does have the authority as the action would be “defensive” in nature.
“They don’t have to, because they’re not talking about offensive activities, they’re talking about defensive activities,” said the Florida Republican.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who also serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters that he was “good to go” regarding the issue of legal authorization.
Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said that he believed that retaliation by the Trump administration using the 2001 authorization would be “inappropriate,” adding that he believed there are “no credible links” between the Islamic Republic and al Qaeda.
“I think every president tries to make the case that Congress can’t tell them what to do on foreign policy or war. They’re wrong. […] I will oppose any president, Republican or Democrat, who thinks they can go to war without congressional approval,” the Kentucky senator told reporters.
A bipartisan group of senators — including Paul, Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) — wrote a letter to the president expressing that they were “concerned” about a potential military conflict between the two nations.
“Given that growing risk, we want to reiterate that, as of this date, Congress has not authorized war with Iran and no current statutory authority allows the U.S. to conduct hostilities against the Government of Iran,” they wrote in the letter.
On Thursday, it was reported that Iran shot down a U.S. drone over the Strait of Hormuz, claiming that the drone was violating Iranian national airspace and saying that the action was to send “a clear message” to America.
The U.S. pushed back on the claim, asserting that the drone was in international airspace.
My question is how long do we just sit back and let this obvious threat to our nation’s safety grow in power? Do we wait until they have nukes and fire them off all causally like north Korea whom we should have crushed under foot years ago. When do we say enough is enough when they rebuilt a terrorist organization and they attack us on our own soil again? Does it really take the loss of life on our own damn soil to open the eyes of these weaklings who have absolutely no place in military matters to begin with.… Read more »
Turn Iran into glass !
Turn Iran in glass
Anyone who does not recognize that the Iraniacs are our sworn enemy, “Death to America”, must think we should give them a couple of billion dollars more.
OH my Iran made a mistake when they shot down the drone. Then we made a mistake when we sank a dozen Iranian gun boats. All even now.
How about we use our heads and try to determine over whose country the drone was? First let’s turn this thing on its; head; if Iran had a drone flying along the Gulf of Mexico and it was shot down, would it be in U.S territorial area or perhaps Mexico’s? Either way it sure would be a long ways from Iran. Or, another way would be, whose territorial waters as this is certainly not the high seas. Either way the US is sticking its’ oar in someone else’s pond and mostly to roil the waters not seek a calm.
Also, where were the lefties concerns and Congress concerns when Obama and Hillary started a war in Libya without congressional approval? Trump has that same phone and a pen that Obama had. Remember when Obama told Congress he has a phone and a pen. No problems then shouldn’t care now. Furthermore, under the “War powers Act of 1973”, a President can take military action as long as the President notifies congress within 48 hrs and has up to 60 days to conduct military actions without congressional approval. Look up “WAR POWERS ACT” before blabbering your uneducated opinion of policy.
Iran committed an “act of war”, The drone was in international airspace and Iran has been doing what they can to provoke an incident. Looks like many of the lefties on this sight can’t seem to understand that. Drone or not, they fired upon U.S property. A clear “Act of War”.