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Iowa elected officials and candidates respond to U.S.-Israel attack on Iran
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, and President Donald Trump urged the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” by rising up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979.
Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military bases in the region, and exchanges of fire continued into the night.
Many elected officials and candidates for office in Iowa released statements Saturday in response to the attack.
Zach Wahls, Democrat running for U.S. Senate
"Congress must immediately invoke the War Powers Act to prevent our country from being dragged into another war of foreign regime change.
"My generation grew up witnessing and experiencing the horrors of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and we are all still living with the consequences here at home: lives lost, families shattered, and trillions of our tax dollars squandered.
"We cannot repeat those mistakes in Iran, and I firmly stand with the overwhelming majority of Iowans and Americans in opposing the unilateral launch of a reckless war without congressional authorization and without a clear exit strategy.
"Chloe and I are praying for the safety and security of every American service member."
Josh Turek, Democrat running for U.S. Senate
“The American people deserve transparency from their government, and the power to declare war rests with Congress. While there is no question the Iranian regime is brutal and repressive, bombing Iran is not the same thing as bringing lasting change to the country. And an attack that could drag the U.S. into a long, costly conflict should not happen without Congressional approval.
“Americans were promised an end to ‘forever wars’ and costly foreign entanglements. This is another example of a betrayal of that promise. Once again, Washington is failing working people by being quicker to send working class kids into combat than do anything to lower costs and make our lives easier.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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