By Brian Trusdell | Saturday, 28 February 2026 08:17 PM EST
Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., rebuked Democrats in Congress for criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran on Saturday, condemning them for suggesting the actions provoke conflict and stating that the military moves are “how you avoid a war.”
“We’re going to remove the threats on our nation, the threats on commerce in the region. We’re going to remove the threat of Iran totally,” said the Republican member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former ambassador to Japan.
“And this is how you avoid a war. This is precisely how you avoid a war, again, with the bloodthirsty nation with leaders like … you’ve seen who have been willing to kill Americans … kill our allies — and with impudence,” he added.
Hagerty’s comments came during an interview on Saturday regarding the attacks on Iran that were coordinated with the Israel Defense Forces and targeted Iran’s offensive capabilities, particularly missiles and drones.
He was responding to questions about social media posts by Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who said Trump was “dragging this nation into an illegal and unjustified war.”
“This is about freedom. This is about protecting the world,” Hagerty stated.
“It’s not just even about Iran. It’s about nuclear capabilities here,” he continued.
“I think they completely miss the point, which seems to be typical of the Democrat Party these days. They’re just so possessed by politics, they can’t look at the reality of the situation,” Hagerty said.
He added that Iranians have been “certainly unrealistic in the negotiations with our team, with Jared Kushner, with [special envoy] Steve Witkoff. And this is what happens. President Trump means business.”
