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United States Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) indicated on Tuesday that the U.S.’s plan for Iran — as President Donald Trump wages an illegal and unprovoked war on the country — is to “hope for the best and see what happens.”
Earlier this month, Trump suggested that he intends to have final say on who will control Iran after the war’s conclusion — blatantly contradicting his past claims that he started the conflict out of concern for democracy or freedom for the people of Iran.
“I have to be involved in the appointment,” Trump said in an interview with Axios.
During a Tuesday appearance on CNBC, Scott was asked who could be expected to lead Iran at the war’s conclusion.
Scott’s remarks made it clear that he didn’t know who the administration might be considering, or whether any consideration was being given at all. He avoided answering the question directly, saying there were other priorities for the U.S.
“With regard to Iran, we don’t have somebody yet,” Scott said. “Am I hopeful? Absolutely. But what’s important to me is to destroy all their ability to kill us. I mean, you can hope for a regime change, but in the meantime, let’s destroy their ability to kill more Americans.”
After that happens, Scott said the U.S. should simply “hope for the best and see what happens.”
While Scott, in his capacity as a member of the U.S. Senate, is not a member of the Trump administration, his words on what can be expected in the future should be given considerable weight, as he serves on the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Foreign Relations Committee. As a member of those committees, he is likely receiving reports on the war from the White House on a regular basis.
At the same time, Scott’s descriptions of Iran — namely, the country’s supposed “ability to kill us” — disregards intelligence assessments from before the war showing that Iran was not a threat to U.S interests at home or abroad, and nowhere near capable of producing a nuclear bomb, two rationales the administration has cited to justify launching the war.
Indeed, many international studies experts believe that the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran will nudge the country closer toward seeking nuclear weapons, with no reason to trust the negotiation process in the future.
“If Iran survives the current conflict, the lessons Iranian leaders draw from this moment may motivate them to pursue a nuclear deterrent,” said Sina Toossi, senior nonresident fellow at the Center for International Policy, in an op-ed for Al Jazeera earlier this month.
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