Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said that Iranian “aggression should be checked” following the American drone strike against Qassem Soleimani.
The Arizona Democrat released a statement Friday afternoon that stood in contrast to many other Democrats who have condemned the attack against the Iranian military commander as a dangerous escalation in the Middle East.
“The country deserves, and the administration must provide, a coherent effective strategy to safeguard our national security,” Sinema said. “My highest priority is the safety of Arizona families. Soleimani was a terrorist, and I stand with all Arizonans in honoring the Americans killed and harmed by his actions.
“Iran’s aggression should be checked, and we must protect all Americans at home and abroad,” she added.
Democratic front-runner Joe Biden and other Democratic presidential candidates criticized the drone strike. Biden said that the attack against Soleimani might lead to “multiple Iranian attacks by multiple means on multiple targets.”
Soleimani, 62, was killed in a drone strike in Baghdad. The general was the commander of the Quds Force, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that America will face “severe revenge” for the targeted attack.
U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook, 51, said that the drone strike against Soleimani prevented the deaths of “hundreds of Americans.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Sinema’s office for further comment but did not immediately receive a response.
