House Intelligence chair says Biden administration has ‘no policy’ on Iran

Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, on Sunday accused the Biden administration of having “no policy” on Iran.

Turner said on CBS' “Face the Nation” that the Biden administration has “confusion between goals and objectives” regarding recent U.S. attacks in the Middle East. His comments came days after the United States launched attacks on Iranian-backed organizations in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for a deadly drone strike that killed three American service members in Jordan last week.

“But this is the problem, Margaret, they keep saying they want to retaliate, but then they say it's deterrence, and then they say it's a reduction in capability,” Turner told CBS' Margaret Brennan. Told. “They're all different goals and objectives. And they're not doing any of them. We all know this is only about Iran. These are all Iranian franchises.”

“And the administration has no policy regarding Iran, how to degrade their capabilities, mitigate these attacks, reduce their nefarious activities in the Middle East,” he continued.

Turner stressed that the Biden administration has “no goals, no objectives” regarding Iran, noting that “there will be no price paid if the militias are attacked.”

“The administration needs two things: a real plan for Iran and countering Iran in the region. But secondly, a diminished ability to thwart these attacks. To remain on the defensive indefinitely. I can't,” Turner said.

“The systems that protect our troops and ships cannot continue to be 100% successful in these attacks. We tolerate attacks and we tolerate casualties. need to be brought to Iran,” he added.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) last week accused President Biden of “over-signaling” ahead of a planned U.S. attack. Johnson and other Republicans suggested Biden was too slow to respond to the deadly attack in Jordan, while others called for stronger action against Iran in the wake of the attack.

“The tragic deaths of three U.S. soldiers in Jordan at the hands of Iranian-backed militias required a clear and strong response. Unfortunately, the administration waited a week to tell the world, including Iran, of our response. I have telegraphed the details,” Johnson said in a statement Friday.