U.S. Senator Angus King says he is worried about what Iran may do in response to the assassination of a top Iranian military leader.
“What kind of response will there be? And does this put us on a path to a war with a country of 80 million people and a very sophisticated military and cyber capabilities?”
King says that while he believes that Gen. Qassem Soleimani was responsible for thousands of deaths in the region, including Americans, he is concerned that Iran will respond with attacks on vulnerable American forces.
King, who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, also says he wants to know what prompted the order.
“I want to see the intelligence that underlay this action and what was the basis of it, so we know what the administration knew when they made this decision,” he says.
King says he is worried the situation will spiral into a broader military conflict.
In an emailed statement, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins called Soleimani a "ruthless enemy of America." She also said that, according to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Soleimani ordered the recent attacks on the U.S. embassy and was planning additional attacks against Americans in the Middle East. She called on the Trump Administration to brief Congress on available intelligence, saying that the action “ does risk further military escalation.”
