Lawmakers react to attacks on Iran, warn about perils of ‘long-term military commitment’

Democratic members of the Illinois congressional delegation are warning against another protracted conflict in the Middle East in response to the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran Saturday, while some downstate Republicans praised President Donald Trump.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said there is bipartisan support for stopping the development of nuclear weapons in Iran. However, “there is no consensus for another interminable war in the Middle East,” Illinois’ senior senator said.

“A war in Iran with the goal of regime change could be another long-term military commitment with deadly consequences for thousands of American troops,” the Springfield Democrat said in a statement.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Hoffman Estates said the “long-planned and deeply-calculated nature” of the strikes on Iran “wholly undermine any attempt to claim they are in response to a legitimate imminent threat.”

Duckworth was a helicopter pilot who lost both her legs in Iraq, which she called a “different unjustified war in the Middle East.”

“If there was ever a time for Republicans to find their spines, it’s now, when the Commander in Chief readily admits that he is choosing to put our troops’ lives at risk without a legitimate imminent threat to our homeland or our citizens,” she said in a statement.

Republican U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, who represents the 15th Congressional District in central Illinois, commended Trump for “decisive action to defend America’s interests and confront those who threaten our security,” she said on social media.

U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, an Evanston Democrat, instead called for diplomacy.

“Abandoning that approach in favor of reckless escalation puts lives, security, and regional stability at risk,” she said.

But Peoria Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood said Iran “has repeatedly rejected serious diplomatic efforts, despite President Trump and the United States making it abundantly clear that we will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon or retain the capability to do so.”

“Rather than engage in good-faith negotiations,” he continued, “the Iranian regime has continued to fund terrorist organizations, destabilize the Middle East, murder its own citizens, and threaten the security of the United States and our allies.”

U.S. Rep Sean Casten called Iran’s regime “repressive and destabilizing.”

“No one disputes that Iran presents serious challenges. Its support for proxy militias, regional interference, and hostility toward its neighbors undermines peace in the Middle East. The United States would welcome a more peaceful and responsible partner in the region. But that does not justify unilateral war,” Casten, a Downers Grove Democrat, said in a lengthy statement.

Casten also criticized Trump, saying the president “cited no imminent threat” that would warrant military action without congressional approval or international support.

“Destabilizing Iran is not cost-free. Iran has the capacity to disrupt oil shipments in the Persian Gulf, activate proxies across the region, and trigger refugee flows that would immediately affect Qatar, the UAE, Turkey, and others,” Casten added. “History teaches that calls for regime change, including our own involvement in Iran in 1953, can produce consequences that last for generations.”