共和党参议员兰德·保罗在周二接受福克斯新闻采访时强烈批评唐纳德·特朗普对伊朗的政策，警告说总统的杀人的命令伊朗将军卡西姆·索莱马尼上周使美国更接近另一场冲突，并使美国人“更有可能”受到攻击。
“我认为随着他的死亡，现在更有可能发生袭击，”代表肯塔基州的保罗在一段时间内警告说美国新闻编辑室。
这位议员接着解释说，特朗普的决定大大降低了外交手段现在被用来解决与伊朗紧张关系的可能性，并对总统此前决定将美国从《联合全面行动计划》中撤出感到遗憾。该条约通常被称为伊朗核协议，由巴拉克·奥巴马政府签署。
“伊朗协议并不完美，我是伊朗协议的批评者，”保罗指出。“然而，我认为退出伊朗协议是一个巨大的错误。我们应该在伊朗协议的基础上再接再厉。”
这位参议员随后阐述了特朗普政府自退出《联合行动纲领》以来对伊朗采取的措施，称总统的行动只会让局势变得更糟。“我认为这是外交的死亡，”他说，“除非伊朗人民的报复得到某种程度的满足，否则我看不出有什么办法让它重新开始。”
他继续说道:“我讨厌这样。我讨厌这是我们要去的地方....伊朗协议签署后，杀戮减少了很多，暴力也减少了很多。”
这位参议员说，根据核协议，“我们与伊朗的关系正朝着更加稳定的方向发展”。
“现在它消失了，我想它可能会消失一辈子。”
白宫新闻秘书斯蒂芬妮·格里森在2007年晚些时候回应了保罗的批评美国新闻编辑室。她暗示外交仍然是一种选择。
“我不知道我是否同意。总统说伊朗——欢迎他不带任何先决条件地与他们交谈，”她说。
特朗普长期以来一直批评《联合行动纲领》，并于2018年5月退出国际协议，尽管联合国核查人员的一致报告显示，伊朗遵守了协议规定的义务。欧洲联盟、法国、德国、英国、俄罗斯和中国也签署了《联合行动纲领》，向伊朗提供制裁减免和国际投资，以换取遏制其核计划。
伊朗人在1月6日德黑兰举行的悼念遇害军事指挥官卡西姆·苏莱曼尼的送葬队伍中点燃了美国和以色列国旗。
特朗普退出后的一年里，伊朗一直致力于核协议，尽管它在美国新的制裁下遭受了痛苦。为了挽救该条约，伊朗领导人与该协议的其他签署国进行了谈判，这些签署国批评了美国的退出。但在2019年5月，伊朗表示将开始背弃其在《联合行动纲领》下的承诺。领导精英圣城军的广受欢迎的军事领袖苏莱曼尼被杀后，德黑兰周日宣布不再遵守协议。
同时，伊朗领导人誓言报仇与外交部长贾瓦德·扎里夫一起告诉有线电视新闻网周二，袭击相当于国家支持的“恐怖主义”他警告说，伊朗将进行军事报复，并指出这将是一种“相称”的回应。
“我们会依法回应。我们不是像特朗普总统那样无法无天的人，”他说。
特朗普警告说，伊朗的任何报复都会招致美国的严厉回应周六发推特他的政府已经编制了一份伊朗52个目标地点的清单。
REPUBLICAN SENATOR SLAMS TRUMP'S IRAN POLICY, SAYS ATTACKS ON AMERICANS 'MUCH MORE LIKELY' AFTER SOLEIMANI'S KILLING
Republican Senator Rand Paul strongly criticized Donald Trump's policy toward Iran in a Tuesday interview with Fox News, warning that the president's order to kill Iranian general Qassem Soleimani last week has brought the U.S. closer to another conflict and makes it "much more likely" that Americans will be attacked.
"I think there is much more likely to be attacks now with his death," Paul, who represents Kentucky, warned during a segment of America's Newsroom.
The lawmaker went on to explain that Trump's decision had significantly reduced the possibility that diplomacy could now be used to resolve tensions with Iran, lamenting the president's previous decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). That treaty, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, was signed by Barack Obama's administration.
"The Iran agreement wasn't perfect, and I was a critic of the Iran agreement," Paul noted. "However, I think it was a big mistake to pull out of the Iran agreement. We should have tried to build upon the Iran agreement."
The senator then laid out the steps the Trump administration had taken against Iran since withdrawing from the JCPOA, arguing that the president's actions have only made the situation worse. "I think it is the death of diplomacy," he said, "and I see no way to get it back started again until sort of the revenge of the Iranian people is somehow sated."
He continued: "I hate this. I hate that this is where we are going.... There was much less killing, much less violence after the Iran agreement."
Under the nuclear deal, "we were heading to a much more stable situation with Iran," the senator said.
"And now it's gone, and I think it might be gone for a lifetime."
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham responded to Paul's criticism in a later segment of America's Newsroom. She suggested that diplomacy was still an option.
"I don't know if I agree with that. The president has said that Iran—he is welcome to talking to them, with no preconditions," she said.
Trump had long criticized the JCPOA and withdrew from the international agreement in May 2018, despite consistent reports from U.N. inspectors showing that Iran was complying with its obligations under the deal. The JCPOA, which was also signed by the European Union, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and China, provided Iran with sanctions relief and international investment in exchange for curbing its nuclear program.
Iranians set U.S. and Israeli flags on fire during a January 6 funeral procession in Tehran to mourn slain military commander Qassem Soleimani.
Iran remained committed to the nuclear agreement for one year following Trump's withdrawal, even as it suffered under renewed U.S. sanctions. To salvage the treaty, Iranian leaders negotiated with the deal's other signatories, which had criticized the U.S. exit. But in May 2019 Iran said it would begin walking back from its commitments under the JCPOA. Following the killing of Soleimani, a popular military leader who led the elite Quds Force, Tehran announced on Sunday it would no longer abide by the deal.
Meanwhile, Iranian leaders have vowed to take revenge for Soleimani's killing, with Foreign Minister Javad Zarif telling CNN on Tuesday that the attack amounted to state-sponsored "terrorism." He warned that Iran would retaliate militarily, noting that it would be a "proportional" response.
"We will respond lawfully. We are not lawless people like President Trump," he said.
Trump has warned that any Iranian retaliation would bring a severe response from the U.S. He tweeted on Saturday that his administration has compiled a list of 52 targeted sites in Iran.
