Rand Paul Tells Fox’s Maria Bartiromo He Doesn’t Buy the Trump Administration’s Argument for Iran War

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) picked apart the Trump administration’s reasoning for the ongoing war with Iran on Tuesday, saying the White House’s motivation hasn’t “been very convincing.”

During the 8 a.m. hour on Fox Business, Maria Bartiromo brought on Paul to respond to a press conference that had just taken place.

During that presser, Bartiromo noted, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed that Tuesday would be the “most intense” day of the war in terms of strikes against Iran.

Bartiromo then mentioned that Hegseth had been providing the public with regular updates, prompting her to ask Paul if the administration’s reasons for the war had been “sufficient” in his eyes.

In response, Paul said the administration’s reasons were not “very convincing” and began poking holes in each of them. The senator added:

As far as the reasons for the war, there have been many different reasons floated, but none of them, I think, have been very convincing. One reason is that we want to free the Iranian people from oppression. I have a great deal of sympathy. I want people to be free around the world. But if our foreign policy is to free oppressed people, I’m not sure where war would end. I mean, there are many people that are said to be oppressed in China, Tibet, the Uyghurs, North Korea, Russia. Where would war end if our goal is to free oppressed people? So I think that goal is too grandiose and would perpetually tie us up in war.

Another statement has been made: “Well, they’re a week away from a nuclear weapon.” You can take clips from the ’90s, all the way through the present, of people arguing that they’re a week away from nuclear weapons.

Then, there were arguments made where their ballistic missiles are almost able to reach the U.S., but then our intelligence countered that and said, really, they would be six months to a year — if they made that attempt.

We were also told their nuclear weapons were obliterated, and now we’re told their nuclear weapons are just moments away from being a bomb. So, I guess I don’t think the arguments are valid, and I think war should be the last resort, not the first resort. A war of choice is not my choice.

Watch above via Fox Business.

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