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, the U.S. subject becoming straight progressive successful the struggle betwixt Israel and Iran, but that hinges connected whether the Islamic Republic rejoins the negotiating table.

"Dismantling Iran's atomic programme is what this is each about," Thune told Fox News Digital from his bureau successful the 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 the U.S. volition instrumentality a bigger, much nonstop relation successful the burgeoning struggle successful the Middle East. There are progressive conversations among senators astir what relation Congress should play successful whether to thrust the U.S. into an equipped struggle oregon if that powerfulness should beryllium ceded to the president. 

"The Israelis whitethorn not person the subject capableness to bash everything that’s necessary," helium continued. "If the Iranians are smart, they'll travel to the array and negociate this successful a mode successful which they take to extremity oregon disavow their atomic program."

Israel and Iran traded rocket strikes for a 5th time pursuing the 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 oregon destroyed. Notably, Israel has been incapable to harm the heavy fortified Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

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President Donald Trump speaks with 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 instrumentality a ballot connected going to warfare with Iran and disavowing an equipped struggle wholly person circulated this week, portion immoderate lawmakers judge that the U.S. should spell each successful to snuff retired Iran’s atomic capabilities and backmost up Israel arsenic warring rages.

President Donald Trump has truthful acold refused to accidental whether the U.S. would usage nonstop subject unit to forestall Iran from creating oregon obtaining a atomic weapon, and helium has continued to impulse Iranian leaders to negociate a atomic deal.

Still, the president met successful the White House’s Situation Room connected Tuesday with his National Security Team aft leaving the 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, helium said connected his societal media platform, Truth Social, "We present person implicit and full power of the skies implicit Iran." In that aforesaid post, helium noted that the 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 close now, they're decidedly connected their heels," helium said. "Their bid and power has been taken out. Nobody knows who's truly successful charge."

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

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

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

"I think, for close now, everybody is wishing the Israelis occurrence and, again, hoping that the U.S. doesn't person to get further involved, but realizing what's astatine stake, and not lone for Israel but for the portion and the world," helium said.