Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) confirmed on Friday that he had been briefed on Israel’s recent strikes on Iran, almost 24 hours after the strike began.
The senator’s comment followed hours after statements from other congressional leaders, including Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who wrote late Thursday night that the U.S. “commitment to Israel must be absolute.”
Schumer told JNS in a Friday afternoon statement that Israel has the right to defend itself and that Iran must not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.
“The United States’ commitment to Israel’s security and defense must be ironclad as they prepare for Iran’s response,” he stated. “The Iranian regime’s stated policy has long been to destroy Israel and Jewish communities around the world.”
“As the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, the Iranian regime has sought to expand its influence in the Middle East, exporting terror and violence across the region,” he said. “Iran was just censured at the International Atomic Energy Agency for systematically deceiving the world about its nuclear program.
Schumer said preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons must “remain a top national security priority.”
“The preferred path to preventing a nuclear-armed Iran and for supporting security and stability in the region has always been a strong, unrelenting diplomatic effort backed by meaningful leverage, and every effort must be made to move toward the path of a diplomatic solution,” he said.
“I am praying for the safety of American citizens and servicemembers in the region and for enduring stability and security in the region,” he added.
