- House Select Committee on China Chairman Mike Gallagher told that China facilitated Iran's deadly aggression
- “It is impossible to understand the situation in the Middle East without considering the role China wants to play in the region,” he said
- In response to Saturday night's deadly attack, Gallagher is calling on Biden to restore “deterrence” through force
- Gallagher's committee is holding two major hearings this week focused on the CCP's global “authoritarian bias” and infiltration of technology
A leading Republican says China has encouraged Iran to launch deadly attacks on the US and President Biden needs to step up and show strength by striking back quickly.
Over the weekend, three American soldiers were killed and more than 30 injured in an Iranian-backed drone strike on a military base in Jordan. In addition, there have been over 150 attacks by Iranian proxies on US troops since October.
House Select Committee on China Chairman Mike Gallagher told that China facilitated Iran's deadly aggression.
“It is impossible to understand the situation in the Middle East without considering the role China wants to play in the region,” he said.
China is the “major partner” in the “global alignment of authoritarian revisionist powers” determined to “end American leadership,” Gallagher, R-Wis., continued.
“China may not give all the orders in this cabal, which includes Russia, Iran and North Korea, but it is very much the senior partner and finances the other members, providing vital assistance to enable the aggression we see today from Ukraine to Ukraine.” “Middle East,” said Gallagher.
In response to Saturday night's deadly attack, Gallagher is calling on Biden to restore “deterrence” through force.
The drone strike hit a US outpost in the northeast of the country called Tower 22 near the Syrian border, leaving at least 34 others injured
The deaths of three US soldiers in a drone attack by Iranian-backed militants on the US base at Tower 22 in Jordan (pictured) risks further worsening the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, experts warn, and could lead to a wider conflict
“I would advocate for a forceful response to Iranian targets and particularly Iranian proxy targets,” he told .
“And that’s the only way we can possibly begin to restore deterrence in the Middle East.”
President Biden promised that we would “respond” to the attack that left three service members dead on Sunday.
“We had a rough day in the Middle East last night. “We have lost three brave souls,” he said during a visit to a church in Columbia, South Carolina, where he also asked for a moment of silence for those lost.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby stressed on Monday that there would be a “very consistent response” – even as the US tries to avoid war with Iran.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack, but Tehran denied involvement in the planning.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the country is “not involved in the decision-making of resistance groups” about how they “defend Palestinians or their own land.” He described claims about Iran's own involvement as “baseless.”
Gallagher's committee is holding two major hearings this week focused on the CCP's global “authoritarian bias” and infiltration of technology.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta are testifying in the first of two hearings this week.
“I think the fact that two former Cabinet secretaries, one from each party, are testifying and highlighting the connections between China, Russia, Iran and the Middle East will go a long way toward informing the committee's work and hopefully improving our overall strategy will do,” he said in a call to to preview the hearings.
Ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, said the U.S. “absolutely needs to respond with strength” after the attack.
Gallagher says that with the Chinese military's increasing hostility toward U.S. troops, it is a “strategic imperative” to have secure and viable fuel storage facilities in the region
“There is an important alliance between these authoritarian regimes.” And what you do with one depends on others. “You can’t be strong at some but weak at others,” he continued.
“You can’t be tough on China and weak on the Houthis,” he added, saying the president’s call for $110 billion in additional aid was crucial for that reason.
He hopes Tuesday's hearing will shed light on how the CCP can be more “deterred” from “conflict and aggression.”