Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) said President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iran’s Kharg Island shows that the U.S. war on the country is “far from being over.” On Friday, Trump announced that the U.S. military “totally obliterated” all military targets on the Persian Gulf island, through which 90% of Iran’s oil exports pass. The president said he declined to strike oil facilities on Kharg, but that if Iran continues to restrict travel through the Strait of Hormuz, he will “reconsider this decision.” Iran effectively closed the strait after the U.S. and Israel began bombing the country on Feb. 28. Smith appeared on Friday’s OutFront on CNN, where guest host Erica Hill noted Trump’s announcement and asked, “What does this tell you about where the war is headed?” The congressman noted the ongoing death and destruction in the conflict: The cost of this war is expanding, and the civilian deaths, obviously, we’ve lost 13 service members. The devastation to the global economy. We have a full-scale Middle East war that Donald Trump kicked off. And the cost is enormous. And it tells me, with the Kharg Island attack, that this is all very far from being over. President Trump uses words about “obliterated” all the time, but we are still a long way from achieving the objectives that he set out. And there’s no clear path to achieve those objectives. Now, Kharg Island, specifically, if we were to shut that off, that is a lifeline for Iran. I’m told it’s somewhere between 80 to 90% of their oil goes through that spot. If they could not use it, it would have a devastating economic impact on Iran. It’s a strategic asset without without any question. More than 1,300 Iranians have been killed in the U.S.-Israeli bombings. Iran has responded by attacking Israel, U.S. military installations in the region, and effectively closing the vital Strait of Hormuz, which has upended oil markets and sent gas prices surging. Watch above via CNN.The post Congressman Alarmed by Trump’s Latest Iran Announcement: ‘This Is All Very Far From Being Over’ first appeared on Mediaite. [TheTopNews] Read More.
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