Moulton Statement on Iran's Ballistic Missile Attack

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today Congressman Moulton released the following statement in response to Iran's ballistic missile fire on Israel:

"Iran’s ballistic missile attack on civilian population centers was unprecedented, and Israel has every right to respond.

The aim of Israel’s retaliation should be to restore deterrence and, in the process, remind the world that the West’s war with terrorists and their state sponsors is not with the citizens of these countries. That is why the decisions about how to target and calibrate the response are critical. The first targets should be precisely the missiles and military organizations used in Iran’s vicious attack. While Israel will ultimately make its own decisions, America must be clear that it is not in our national security interest to get drawn into an escalating war in the Middle East. 

Many will suggest that Israel should target Iran’s nuclear program, but two questions must be answered first:

1. How long will it take Iran to reconstitute and will it stop short, as it has now, of actually building a bomb?

2. Will these targets invite escalation rather than deterrence? The danger of a nuclear-armed Iran cannot be overstated. A short-term solution that results in Iran building actual weapons in the near future in facilities buried even deeper underground would leave the world less safe than today.

At this critical juncture, what happens next will determine whether we restore deterrence in the region or devolve into a wider war. I firmly support Israel’s right to defend itself, but its responsibility at this moment extends well beyond its own borders."