Reschenthaler calls on Biden administration to respond to Iran’s continued attacks

In an effort to deter aggression and protect U.S. personnel operating in Iraq, U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) is urging the Biden administration to respond to Iran’s ongoing attacks in the region.

“As Iran continues to sow chaos and destruction in the Middle East, these continued attacks have assaulted Iraq’s sovereignty, threatened U.S. forces and ongoing counterterrorism efforts, and killed innocent American and Iraqi civilians,” wrote Rep. Reschenthaler in a Nov. 17 letter sent to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. 

“It is deeply concerning that these attacks have not been met with a strong U.S. response, and we believe this will only increase the IRGC’s [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’] ongoing terror campaign across the region,” wrote Rep. Reschenthaler and his colleague U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL).  

Since March, the IRGC has launched several coordinated armed drone and missile attacks into northern Iraq, killing and injuring dozens of Iraqis and killing one American citizen, according to the lawmakers’ letter. 

Most recently, the IRGC on Nov. 14 launched armed drones and missiles into the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, killing and injuring nearly a dozen Iraqis. Rep. Reschenthaler and his colleague noted that such ongoing coordinated attacks are an effort to deflect blame amid the growing peaceful protests against the Iranian regime for its murder of an Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini.

“This a clear signal from the Iranian regime that they have the capabilities to target U.S. and partner interests in Iraq without consequences from the Biden administration,” they wrote. “Without responding to these provocations, we risk additional threats to our warfighters, diplomats, and civilians in the region.”