Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said he would support a renewed U.S. bombing campaign on Iran if it meant regime change would “happen faster.”
“Until there is regime change, then both Israel and the United States are going to have to continue to do things to stop the Iranian ability to kill us with one nuclear weapon,” Scott told CBS News senior reporter Dov Lieber in an interview clip released on Tuesday.
Asked how close the U.S. is to another armed escalation with Iran, the Florida Republican said he doesn’t know an exact time frame but noted that “it’s going to happen every so often until the regime is changed.”
“I think what will happen is the people of Iran will rise up,” he added. “It’s probably tough right now because of the number of people that were killed last January, but I think that will happen.”
Before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran earlier this year, Iranian security forces killed thousands of anti-government protesters during a brutal crackdown. President Donald Trump threatened to intervene if the regime continued killing peaceful protesters, and he followed through on his threat by the end of February.
To justify the conflict, Trump said the U.S. military bombed Iran before it could have developed a fully functional nuclear weapon. This was one of Scott’s concerns as well.
“I don’t want to be killed by a nuclear weapon,” Scott said as he backed the U.S. military’s combat operations against Iran. “I think that if they get one, they’re going to do everything they can to kill us.”
Responding to Lieber’s comment about the conflict possibly lasting years, the senator suggested it will only end if there’s a regime change or the Iranian government “changes its ways.” He doesn’t believe the latter scenario will happen.
Scott’s comments on the Iran war come as Trump weighs the timing of additional strikes on Iran. Trump previously ruled out the possibility of attacking the Islamic Republic before the midterm elections, which are two weeks away.
The president recently brought up the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast in relation to Iran, hinting that the “mother of all bombs” could be used in possible U.S. strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities. The reported plan hasn’t been finalized.
The Iran war is expected to be a major factor in the outcome of the midterm elections, which could overturn the narrow House Republican majority. The Senate is also at risk of flipping blue, though that outcome is less likely compared to the House.
Justin Murphy, the Republican candidate seeking to unseat Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), has been vocal in his support of continuing to fight Iran. During a recent debate, Murphy called on Trump to “finish” the job.
MEET THE REPUBLICAN SENATE CANDIDATE WHO WANTS TRUMP TO CONTINUE THE IRAN WAR
“The Iranian people have suffered enough,” the New Jersey Republican said. “And I would say, Mr. President, put your cowboy hat on and get out there and kick some a** and get this done and done right.”
Murphy and Scott are two examples of Republicans who want the U.S. to end the war decisively, diverging from others in their party who may be more concerned about the conflict’s unpopularity among voters during the latest election cycle. Scott, who is up for reelection again in 2030, has consistently supported the Iran war since it started nearly eight months ago.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
