Nebraska federal delegation supports defending Israel, even if it means U.S. joins war with Iran

LINCOLN —  As President Donald Trump decides whether the U.S. will play a larger role in the decades-long conflict between Israel and Iran, the Nebraska federal delegation says it will support whatever the president decides. 

Israel launched an attack last week with aerial attacks in Iran’s capital targeting its nuclear and military infrastructure. Since then, Israel and Iran have continued to exchange bomb strikes with no end in sight. 

Israel has asked the Trump administration to broaden U.S. involvement in the war to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program. The Nebraska federal delegation says they support Trump’s handling of the conflict and that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon, though there’s no public evidence that Iran is currently building one. U.S. intelligence officials have said Iran could shift toward producing a nuclear weapon.

Unlike other federal lawmakers and some prominent populist pundits, the delegation hasn’t joined in the Republican rift between isolationists and the more hawkish wings of the Trump coalition.

Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District Rep. Don Bacon hinted at a preference as he told the Nebraska Examiner, “It is preferable for us to stay out of the offensive operations over Iran and reduce risk of escalation.” 

Bacon said it depends on whether Iran stops its “nuclear weapons program” and whether Israeli forces can destroy the country’s nuclear facilities on their own.

The reason Israeli officials are lobbying for more U.S. involvement is because only the U.S. has the military capacity to destroy more of Iran’s nuclear program with its 30,000-pound bombs – often referred to as “bunker busters.” 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that his country has the capability to achieve its goals alone.

“We may have no other choice than to finish the job,” Bacon said. “A nuclear-armed Iran is a dire threat to America and our allies.”

After days of speculation and conflicting reporting, White House’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump would decide over the next two weeks whether the U.S. will strike Iran. Leavitt also told reporters that Iran “has never been closer to a nuclear weapon.” 

“Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon … All they need is a decision from the supreme leader to do that, and it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon,” Leavitt said. 

In March, the U.S. intelligence community said Iran was not building a nuclear weapon, according to the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. Trump dismissed her comments this week, saying he doesn’t “care what she thinks” and believes Iran is “very close to having one.” 

U.S. Rep Mike Flood, R-Neb., who represents eastern Nebraska’s 1st District, said he supports Trump on this “significant decision,” because he has access to intel that could help inform America’s strategy in the conflict. 

“We must ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon,” Flood said. 

U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, who represents Nebraska’s largely rural 3rd District, said, “If Iran’s nuclear ambitions were realized, it would be catastrophic for both Israel and the United States.” 

Because of recent developments in the conflict, U.S. intelligence officials have said Iran could shift toward producing a nuclear weapon if the U.S. attacked its central nuclear facility or if Israel killed the nation’s supreme leader. But it would take months, not days — as Israel’s intelligence claims — to make a weapon. 

U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts told Fox News earlier this week that Trump would “absolutely” have his support to use military action if negotiations failed. 

Ricketts also told reporters Wednesday that the decision should be Trump’s. 

U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer said the U.S. “must continue to stand strong with Israel as [it works] to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.”

Even Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen released a video on social media emphasizing that “it is imperative for global peace that Iran never possesses a nuclear weapon,” and he had to cancel a scheduled trip to Israel because of the renewed conflict. 

The possible threat of an autocrat having access to a weapon of mass destruction could lead to the widening of another foreign war, like the precursor to the invasion of Iraq over two decades ago. The newly established two-week timeline from the White House gives more time for diplomacy as Europe makes a late push to de-escalate the conflict.