Thune Warns Iran Should Return To Negotiating Table 'if They're Smart'

FIRST ON FOX: Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., doesn’t envision, nor want, nan U.S. subject becoming straight progressive successful nan conflict betwixt Israel and Iran, but that hinges connected whether nan Islamic Republic rejoins nan negotiating table.

"Dismantling Iran's atomic programme is what this is each about," Thune told Fox News Digital from his agency successful nan Capitol. "And that tin hap 1 of 2 ways. It tin hap diplomatically — voluntarily — or tin hap via force."

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., center (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Thune’s comments travel arsenic questions and concerns swirl connected Capitol Hill among lawmakers astir whether nan U.S. will return a bigger, much nonstop domiciled successful nan burgeoning conflict successful nan Middle East. There are progressive conversations among senators astir what domiciled Congress should play successful whether to thrust nan U.S. into an equipped conflict aliases if that powerfulness should beryllium ceded to nan president. 

"The Israelis whitethorn not person nan subject capacity to do everything that’s necessary," he continued. "If nan Iranians are smart, they'll travel to nan array and discuss this successful a measurement successful which they take to extremity aliases disavow their atomic program."

Israel and Iran traded rocket strikes for a 5th time pursuing nan Jewish State’s late-night onslaught past Thursday, wherever captious infrastructure that would assistance Iran successful its pursuit of creating a atomic limb was damaged aliases destroyed. Notably, Israel has been incapable to harm nan heavy fortified Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, according to nan International Atomic Energy Agency. 

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President Donald Trump speaks pinch reporters connected Air Force One en way from Calgary, Canada, to Joint Base Andrews, Md., precocious Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Bipartisan resolutions requiring that Congress gets to measurement successful and return a ballot connected going to warfare pinch Iran and disavowing an equipped conflict wholly person circulated this week, while immoderate lawmakers judge that nan U.S. should spell each successful to snuff retired Iran’s atomic capabilities and backmost up Israel arsenic fighting rages.

President Donald Trump has truthful acold refused to opportunity whether nan U.S. would usage nonstop subject unit to forestall Iran from creating aliases obtaining a atomic weapon, and he has continued to impulse Iranian leaders to discuss a atomic deal.

Still, nan president met successful nan White House’s Situation Room connected Tuesday pinch his National Security Team aft leaving nan G7 Summit successful Canada early.

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Israeli information forces inspect a tract deed by a rocket launched from Iran successful cardinal Israel connected Tuesday. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

Ahead of that meeting, he said connected his societal media platform, Truth Social, "We now person complete and full power of nan skies complete Iran." In that aforesaid post, he noted that nan U.S. was alert of wherever Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was "hiding," but was not prepared to strike, "at slightest not for now."

But Thune was much cautious, and contended that "we'll hold and spot what they do."

"I deliberation correct now, they're decidedly connected their heels," he said. "Their bid and power has been taken out. Nobody knows who's really successful charge."

"We'll see. If they're smart, they'll travel to nan table."

However, he hoped to spot Iranians statesman to emergence up against nan Ayatollah and believed that's erstwhile nan "seeds of change" would statesman to appear. He besides noted that location are "a batch of things present that propose to me, this whitethorn beryllium that infinitesimal successful clip that we haven't seen since 1979," a reference to nan Iranian Revolution that saw nan overthrow of nan monarchy successful Iran and nan consequent creation of nan Islamic Republic. 

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Asked whether lawmakers would put guardant a supplemental spending package to further assistance Israel, Thune said, "We’ll transverse that span if and erstwhile we travel to it." But he envisioned that if 1 were necessary, it would beryllium dealt pinch aft nan fund reconciliation process, erstwhile lawmakers activity to money nan authorities during fiscal 2026 appropriations.

"I think, for correct now, everybody is wishing nan Israelis occurrence and, again, hoping that nan U.S. doesn't person to get further involved, but realizing what's astatine stake, and not only for Israel but for nan region and nan world," he said.