Diplomacy needed in Israel-Iran conflict, Schneider says after Middle East trip — but he won’t rule out U.S. military action

The ongoing military conflict between Israel and Iran forced U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider and three other American lawmakers to cut short their trip to the Middle East this week.

Back on American soil, the Highland Park Democrat on Friday insisted the best way to end Iran’s nuclear program — the progression of which was the catalyst for Israel’s attack on Tehran a week ago — is by putting Iran “on a different path at the negotiating table.”

But Schneider insisted all options must be on the table — “including a military option,” he said during a telephone interview from Washington, D.C., before heading home to the 10th District for the weekend.

“We have to do everything possible to make sure Iran doesn’t have a weapon,” Schneider said.

President Donald Trump reportedly is considering directly involving the U.S. in the conflict.

In a statement released Friday morning, Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries called for “aggressive diplomacy” to halt Iran’s nuclear aspirations. Jeffries also stressed that the authority to declare war belongs solely to Congress, and he urged the Trump administration to refrain from military action in Iran without Congress’ explicit approval.

Schneider echoed that sentiment, saying the responsibility “squarely falls on our shoulders.”

Schneider was joined on the five-day trip to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates by fellow House Democrat Jimmy Panetta of California and Republicans Zach Nunn of Iowa and Don Bacon of Nebraska. Schneider’s wife, Julie, was among the spouses and staffers who also made the journey, which began June 13 and ended Thursday.

The foreign leaders with whom the delegation met all want hostilities between Israel and Iran to de-escalate, Schneider said.

“I’ll tell you what I heard in all the countries we visited,” Schneider said. “Without any equivocation whatsoever, Iran with a nuclear weapon is an existential threat to every Arab state in the Gulf region, to Israel, to the United States, to Europe and to the world. And that was repeated over and over again.”

The group had been scheduled to visit Israel, but travel there was ruled out after the nation’s Ben Gurion Airport shut down because of the conflict. The lawmakers instead spoke by phone with Israel Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar about the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran and their intentions to visit Israel in the future, Schneider said.

Schneider, who is Jewish, has an interest in Israel’s future that goes beyond his faith. A member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, he is co-chair of the bipartisan Abraham Accords Caucus. The group aims to encourage deeper partnerships among the existing Abraham Accords countries and expanding the agreement to include nations that don’t have diplomatic relations with Israel.

The delegation was sponsored by the N7 Initiative, a nonpartisan effort to enhance relations between the U.S. and nations in the Middle East and elsewhere.