John Fetterman Calls for the Destruction of Iran’s Nuke Facilities: ‘We Cannot Negotiate’
Ben Curtis/AP
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) on Sunday urged the United States and Israel to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, an escalation of his support for military action in the Middle East.
Fetterman shared a screenshot of a Reuters article headlined, “Iran says it will strike back if US or Israel attack.”
“We cannot negotiate with Iran,” he wrote. “It’s time to destroy their nuclear program and neutralize the remaining capabilities of its proxies. I remain steadfast with Israel. Provide whatever is necessary to carry this out.”
Fetterman has been an outspoken supporter of Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks that killed an estimated 1,200 Israelis and people from other nations.
Last month, Fetterman was asked about Iran’s nuclear program, and he replied, “Waste that s—t.”
He told the Washington Free Beacon, “You’re never going to be able to negotiate with that kind of regime that has been destabilizing the region for decades already, and now we have an incredible window, I believe, to do that, to strike and destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities.”
His latest statement comes as reports surface about internal concerns over his mental fitness and behavior in office.
On Friday, Intelligencer published a lengthy report quoting current and former staffers who described Fetterman’s behavior as erratic, especially in the months following his hospitalization for depression in early 2023.
“Sometimes he would just ‘shut down,’ according to one former staffer. He was saying ‘unhinged shit,’ according to one text, and spending more time on social media,” the report claimed.
The article cited instances where the senator allegedly walked into traffic, skipped medical check-ins, and made inflammatory comments about Palestinians during private meetings.
His wife, Gisele Fetterman, reportedly confronted him over his support for Israeli strikes in Gaza, at one point asking, “How can you support this?” according to an account in the report.
Staffers also told the outlet that on some days, they kept Fetterman away from the public for fear he would say “really fucked-up shit” to constituents.
One former aide claimed he once said, “Kill them all,” during a discussion about Gaza. Fetterman has denied that account, saying he was referring only to Hamas.
Fetterman denied calling for the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians.
“Any reference to killing was solely about Hamas, and I do support the destruction of that organization, down to its last member,” he said.
