Even before President Donald Trump's speech Wednesday on U.S. tensions with Iran, two key members of Arizona's congressional delegation — a Democrat and a Republican — viewed Tuesday's relatively minor missile attacks as a chance to step back from the brink of war.
The lack of casualties from Iran's missile strikes on bases in Iraq that house U.S. troops left Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., and Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., hoping for a de-escalation of the situation.
They are far apart on politics, but both are members of Capitol Hill's Armed Services committees and have served in the military.
During his address to the nation Wednesday morning from the Grand Foyer of the White House, Trump was more constrained than in previous days. He urged NATO allies to "become much more involved in the Middle East process" and said his administration will impose new sanctions on Iran in response to the attack.
“The United States is ready to embrace peace with all who seek it,” the president said, avoiding threats of additional confrontation.
Trump's address came hours before administration officials were to deliver a set of classified briefings to House and Senate members about the intelligence that led to the U.S. drone strike last week that killed Iran Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and shook the Middle East.
Only Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., commented about the briefings, which seemed to deepen the partisan divide. Republicans issued messages of support for the Trump administration, with the exception of Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky who, like the Democrats, ripped the briefings as inadequate.
McSally said in a new statement to The Arizona Republic that Iran should take the opening Trump has given to stand down.
“The president has given Iran an opportunity to de-escalate and deter, while offering an economic and diplomatic off-ramp for the Iranian people and keeping Americans safe," McSally said. "I hope they take it.”
McSally, speaking to Fox News late Tuesday, compared the minor damage Tuesday with the significant damage done in a September attack on a Saudi Arabian oil facility that the U.S. blamed on Iran.
"Those strikes were extremely precise, well-timed and targeted," she said, noting that it involved different, more accurate weaponry. "We'll see more as things unfold."
Tuesday's attack could have been a deliberate miss, McSally said. "But if they were trying to miss, they could have inadvertently killed Americans," she said. "That's a really risky thing for them to have tried to do."
Gallego told The Republic on Tuesday: "I think they're trying to potentially drop bombs on an area and hope it causes no casualties, so they can claim they got their retribution and then move on."
Gallego said in an interview with SiriusXM Progress that the administration’s Iran briefing Wednesday didn’t make the case for radical action that it had not taken in earlier months.
“The classified briefings I received two months ago are very similar to the justification they’re trying to use right now for this decapitation move,” he said. “At the end of the day, I don’t believe that the data and the (intelligence) that was being used was a real enough threat for us to take such a risky move.”
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., told The Republic in a statement after Trump's address she is "grateful no lives were lost in last night's attack."
Sinema reiterated her previous statements that Iran's aggression "must be checked" and that Trump and his administration must publicly articulate a "coherent" long-term strategy for its relationship with Iran, and more broadly, the Middle East.
Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., echoed Trump’s swipe at former President Barack Obama in his speech Wednesday as she praised him for not buckling to Iran.
“President Trump is standing up to terrorists and keeping Americans safe at home and abroad,” she said in a written statement. “The days of Obama’s appeasement are over. I am grateful that there were no casualties from last night’s attack.”
Stanton joined Gallego and 35 other House Democrats in signing onto a letter to Trump seeking more information released publicly about the threats that justified the killing last week of Soleimani in Iraq and the administration’s plans moving forward. After the speech and after receiving a briefing on the killing, Stanton was unimpressed and said relations were at a "pivotal point."
"It remains painfully clear that the administration lacks a coherent Middle East and West Asia policy, and there are still many unanswered questions," he said. "I am grateful that no Americans were harmed during last night’s missile attack in Iraq. But it is naive to conclude that Iran is 'standing down.' In the last week, the Iranian regime announced it will no longer abide by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and has restarted its nuclear weapons program. That poses serious near- and long-term risks to our national security and the security of our allies."
Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-Ariz., spoke of a need for continued relations with Iraq and of measured actions against Iran but avoided directly criticizing Trump on any front.
"When it comes to our relationship with Iran, the United States must have a forward-looking strategy that defends our homeland and outlines a clear pathway forward," he said in a statement. "Congress and the administration should work together to come to an agreement on a comprehensive national security strategy that prevents the resurgence of ISIS and continues to root out radicalized terrorists in the region, state-sponsored terrorism, and any and all threats posed by Iran and its proxies. This includes a distinct strategy for any potential proportionate responses to future Iranian actions.
"No American wants to see an escalation of force or a large-scale military conflict," O'Halleran continued. "We must focus on de-escalation, maintaining our partnership with the Iraqi government, and precise, diplomatic initiatives that will lead to a peaceful, non-nuclear Iran."
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., didn’t address Trump’s specific comments but instead reiterated a need for more consultation with Congress.
“The top priority is to keep our American troops safe and that starts with de-escalation. We cannot afford another endless and heartbreaking war,” she said. “I hope that President Trump and his military advisors can act with level-headed leadership moving forward and that Iran stands down from any further attempts to attack. In the coming days and weeks, I hope to see the White House and Pentagon do their due diligence to include Congress in major international military decisions.”
Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., said Trump failed to make clear how he intends to manage the situation moving forward.
“Whether it was violating the Iran Nuclear Deal that prevented Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or recklessly ordering the killing of Soleimani, President Trump’s Iran policy is an unmitigated disaster,” he said. “His latest remarks demonstrate a complete lack of strategy and foresight into how he will manage the crisis he created, and I have little faith that he will work in the best interest of the American people to prevent war with Iran and keep our service members and diplomats safe. The president must immediately cease his war-mongering rhetoric and tit-for-tat attacks and instead pursue a strong diplomatic effort towards ensuring long-term peace and stability in the Middle East.”
Rep. Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican who chairs the conservative House Freedom Caucus, praised Trump for "laying out the case for ... why the attack on Soleimani was legitimate." He said Iran's airstrikes on the bases in Iraq demonstrates "that Iran wants to de-escalate the situation, they don't want to go to war with the United States, but they also wanted us to be aware that they have military capacity."
Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., had little to say about the matter.
“I am pleased with the circumspect discipline shown by the president,” he said in a written statement.
Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., supported Trump's actions but also said he wanted the nation to steer clear of another war with no clear purpose.
"President Trump took decisive and defensive action which took out one of the most brutal terrorists in the world. Today, President Trump announced the welcome news that no American or Iraqi lives were lost during the retaliation by the rogue Iranian regime," he said. "America should not enter into any more long global conflicts that put our soldiers in harm's way without a strategy or approval from Congress. The world is a safer place because of President Trump’s leadership."