Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who co-sponsored legislation to prevent war with Iran not authorized by Congress, said the Trump administration has “unfailingly raised tensions with Iran,” starting with its withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated with Tehran by the Obama administration and five other world powers.
“President Trump’s decision to kill [Soleimani] in Baghdad is a provocative act taken without congressional consultation or authorization, the potential consequences of which are unknown. The Pentagon in its statement characterized the strike as ‘a defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad,’ but the Trump administration’s repeated confrontations with Iran tell a different story,” he said.
