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Connecticut's Democratic leaders criticize President Trump’s decisions on Iran

Connecticut’s congressional leaders say it still has questions about the drone strike that killed Iran's top general, and where we go from here.

News 12 Staff

Jan 8, 2020, 10:45 PM

Updated 1,865 days ago

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Connecticut’s congressional leaders say it still has questions about the drone strike that killed Iran's top general and where we go from here.
President Donald Trump seemed to signal an easing of tensions with Iran during public remarks Wednesday morning after bloodless missile strikes on two U.S. airbases.
"Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world,” he said.
Instead of any further military response, the president announced a wave of additional economic sanctions on the Iranian regime.
Rep. Jim Himes said that it was “hard to say” that those sanctions were going to work. However, he said he would take sanctions over “another shooting war in the Middle East.”
Connecticut lawmakers were briefed on the situation Wednesday afternoon. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy said they still have questions about whether the drone strike that killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani last week was justified.
"The answers provided so far are inadequate, in my view, to justify the extreme action that was taken," said Sen. Blumenthal.
“My concerns regarding its impact on degrading U.S. national security are no less after this briefing," said Sen. Murphy.
The president took time during his address to the nation to blame President Barack Obama for the Iranian aggression.
"The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration," said the president, who criticized the Iran nuclear deal that he pulled out of.
Rep. Himes said President Trump’s decisions have made America less safe.
"When American contractors are being killed, when our embassy is a guarded fortress in which no one can leave, in which we are no longer conducting the war against ISIS, in which the Iranian regime is saying we're not going to abide by the terms of the nuclear deal – are we safer today? Or were we safer three years ago when none of that was true."