Latest news with #JimmyPanetta
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Arab allies recognize Iran's danger, lawmakers say, as region views regime change cautiously
EXCLUSIVE: Top congressional Iran hawks were about to depart for the U.S. from the Middle East on Wednesday, when two members of the delegation spoke to Fox News Digital about what they were seeing on the ground. Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, and Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., said they visited Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and were in the United Arab Emirates as of Tuesday, meeting with leaders and discussing the armed conflict between Israel and Iran. "Over the course of the last week, we have seen just a dramatic escalation, particularly by Iran threatening the region," he said, adding that he is also spearheading the Iranian Maximum Pressure Campaign Act, which comprises 47 pieces that give President Donald Trump leverage over Iranian "Supreme Leader" Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei. Nunn, a retired colonel in the U.S. Air Force – who conducted intel-reconnaissance missions off Russia and China – said Gen. Erik "Gorilla" Kurilla has his "full support" after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated Tuesday he would defer to the CENTCOM commander on Iranian strategy. "[Kurilla] has been very clear here that Iran needs to take the offramp from its nuclear enrichment program. In fact, he was one of the ones that highlighted here the real threat coming from a nuclear Iran, both to its neighbor Israel, and other nations across the Middle East. The United States has a very important role to play here in deterrence," he said. Arab allies like the UAE recognize that Iran presents the greatest "existential threat" to peace in the Middle East, Nunn said, adding that as a veteran of the War on Terror, he doesn't want to see U.S. service members return to combat in the region. Forty thousand troops, however, are stationed in non-combat roles in the region, and are in range of Iranian weapons if Tehran escalates. Nunn warned that the porous southern border has also opened up the likelihood that Iranian proxies are already inside the U.S., and cited reports Tehran was connected in some way to the assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania. He and Panetta, son of former CIA Director Leon Panetta, said the reason they came together in a bipartisan showing to Mideast leaders was that while they may not disagree politically on every issue, Congress is united with Mideast allies. "There's a real opportunity here for our Arab partners and Israel to stand together in deterring Iran. The U.S. should not be the policeman for the world. There are certain capabilities that only the United States can provide in this scenario. That includes deep penetration strikes to eliminate the nuclear reactor and the enrichment program that Iran's produced. But ultimately, this is also up to the Iranian people to decide what they want for their future." Panetta said he hopes the trip helped lay an even stronger basis for other nations to align with the Abraham Accords forged by Trump in his first term. "The conflict between Israel and Iran broke out on Thursday, before the Friday we were to get here. And so that sort of changed a few things and unfortunately prevented us from going into Israel. However, we were able to have very substantive meetings with some of the leadership in Saudi Arabia, in Bahrain, and here in the United Arab Emirates before we have to fly out tonight," Panetta said. "And what we heard consistently is -- none of them want a nuclear-armed Iran." Like Nunn, Panetta also does not want boots on the ground, saying that when or if Tehran's government falls or surrenders, as Trump wants, the change must come "from within." Members of both parties aren't looking to trigger regime change through force, he said, but they do want to see Tehran's nuclear ambitions defeated. And, when it comes to concerns about stability – after seeing Iraq and Libya falter after strongmen were ousted – it will be up to the Iranian people at that point how to proceed, the lawmakers said. "The purpose of Israel's bombing, at least from what we've heard, was to destroy their nuclear capabilities. It was not for regime change," Panetta said. "However, if the people see this as an opportunity, then that's something that basically, I think now more than ever, would be the right time for the people of Iran to rise up." Given the rare bipartisan agreement on the Iran issue in an otherwise fractured political environment, the Democrat added that he will always work with anyone to support both his constituents, and whoever, including Trump, wants to have substantive discussions to solve pressing problems like Iran's nuclear capabilities, "forever wars," and that Israel retains the right to defend itself. "[Those] are bipartisan issues that I think we can work together on," Panetta said.
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
US politicians predict Iran will run out of missiles ‘a lot sooner' than Israel
Iran is expected to exhaust its missile supply much sooner than Israel, members of the US Congress told The National on Wednesday, as the Middle East air war entered its sixth day. A long-running shadow war between Israel and Iran erupted into open conflict last week when Israel launched a large‑scale air and covert strike campaign – including Mossad-backed drone operations – against military and nuclear sites in Iran. The attacks killed senior commanders in the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and nuclear scientists, and damaged nuclear sites such as Natanz and Isfahan. Israel said its sweeping assault was necessary to prevent Tehran from moving closer to acquiring a nuclear weapon. An Iranian human rights group in Washington said at least 585 people, including 239 civilians, have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded. Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones in retaliatory strikes that have killed at least 24 people in Israel and wounded hundreds. Some have hit apartment buildings in central Israel, causing heavy damage, and air raid sirens have repeatedly forced Israelis to run for shelter. 'It's sort of a war of attrition with missiles for Iran and defence systems for Israel,' said Representative Jimmy Panetta, a Democrat. 'The Iranians are eating up their national resources on impotent responses. Their allies are turning away from them. Russia is not nearly as engaged as it's been in the past. They're alienating individuals in the region who should be their partners and their domestic situation gets worse every day that they drag this out.' 'I don't believe they have the capabilities to continue producing them [missiles] as quickly as they'll need to if they're going to stay in this conflict,' said Mr Panetta. His comments came during a conversation with The National in Abu Dhabi alongside fellow congressmen Brad Schneider, a Democrat, and Republican members Don Bacon and Zach Nunn. All have a military or national security background, with Mr Panetta, Mr Nunn and Mr Bacon having served in the armed forces. 'We saw larger salvos earlier. Now there are only smaller ones, which indicates they're having a hard time getting missiles to the launchers,' said Mr Bacon. 'Some speculate they're also running low, because they're firing far fewer now.' Iran's stockpile of ballistic missiles capable of hitting Israel was estimated to be around 2,000 before Israel launched Operation Rising Lion last Friday, according to Israeli intelligence. US commander General Kenneth McKenzie said in 2022 that Iran had more than 3,000 missiles capable of various ranges. The lawmakers stressed continued US support for Israel's defence and said Iran finds itself today in a "much weaker' position. Potential US involvement Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that his country 'will not surrender', in response to remarks made by US President Donald Trump. He also warned that any direct American involvement in Israel's war would lead to 'irreparable' consequences for the US. 'The US President threatens us. With his absurd rhetoric, he demands that the Iranian people surrender to him. They should make threats against those who are afraid of being threatened,' he said in a televised speech. Mr Trump had earlier cautioned Iran that any attacks on US interest in the region would be met with 'the full strength and might' of the American military. 'We've made it clear: if there are attacks on American assets – especially the 40,000 troops we have in the region – we will respond in any way necessary to defend ourselves and our men and women in uniform,' said Mr Panetta. Trump limits Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, a member of the Senate armed services and foreign relations committees, introduced on Monday a bill that would block Mr Trump from using the American military in a conflict against Iran without explicit authorisation from Congress. Mr Nunn has reservations about restricting presidential powers. 'I don't want to put handcuffs on the President when he is trying to be in the best possible position to defend US interests,' he said. 'We're working together with 47 other members on a compendium of maximum pressure sanctions against Iran that the President can leverage immediately with Congress's backing, not only to push Iran to de-escalate but also to apply pressure where necessary.' The members of Congress said diplomacy remains a preferred option, emphasising that there is still a window for a nuclear deal. Since April, the US and Iran have held five rounds of negotiations in Rome and Muscat. The talks aimed to contain Iran's nuclear advances and prevent a regional confrontation, with both sides signalling cautious optimism. A sixth round was scheduled to take place last Sunday. However, two days earlier, Israel launched what it called 'pre-emptive' strikes against Tehran. Mr Trump had given Iran a 60-day deadline to reach a deal or face severe repercussions. Israel's operation began at dawn on day 61. Asked about whether the war amounts to an attempt to force regime change in Tehran, the politicians responded, 'That's going to be up to the people of Iran.' Degraded proxies Although the Iranians are at their weakest point in decades, their nuclear programme is at its strongest in decades, the congressmen said. 'According to the people we've been listening to, they know Khamenei made a decision to develop a nuclear weapon. So the Israelis said, 'We can't wait any longer,'' said Mr Schneider. Last week, the UN nuclear watchdog 's 35-nation board of governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years. A central issue was Iran's failure to provide the International Atomic Energy Agency with credible explanations of how uranium traces detected at undeclared sites in Iran came to be there despite the agency having investigated the issue for years. Iran insists its programme is for civilian purposes and that it does not seek a nuclear bomb. Politicians believe that with many of its proxy groups degraded, Iran now sees nuclear weapons as its last reliable deterrent. Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza have both suffered severe losses in wars with Israel. The Houthis in Yemen have also faced setbacks: US-led strikes have halved their offensive capabilities. The regime of former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad – once a critical partner in Iran's regional axis – was toppled last year. 'Their only deterrent now would be their nukes,' said Mr Panetta. The House members said that Iran's proxies are incapable of offering meaningful defence. 'Whether or not they choose to act is going to be at their own risk – with consequences,' added Mr Panetta. Abraham Accords Mr Schneider said that the 'path to a more secure, prosperous and peaceful Middle East is through the Abraham Accords', referring to a series of normalisation agreements signed in 2020 between Israel and several Arab countries. Before the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, Saudi Arabia was in advanced talks to join the Abraham Accords and normalise relations with Israel, in a deal mediated by the US. However, the war and Israel's military campaign in Gaza halted the momentum, with Riyadh publicly emphasising the need for a credible path towards a Palestinian state before moving forward. 'We're not going to have a decision tomorrow on what happens in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank,' said Mr Nunn. 'But what we do know is there was great economic opportunity and greater security through peaceful relations. There's a mutual threat coming from Iran. And every time Iran fires off a weapon, it goes over Iraq, Jordan, Syria and others, posing a mutual risk.'
Bloomberg
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Bipartisan House Bill Aims to Lift Assad-Era Sanctions on Syria
A group of six bipartisan lawmakers plan to introduce a bill that would repeal sanctions on Syria, giving a boost to White House efforts to lift restrictions on the country after the fall of President Bashar Al-Assad. Representative Joe Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, and Representative Jimmy Panetta, a California Democrat, will introduce a measure Thursday that aims to repeal the the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, which prohibits international investment in the nation.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmaker introduces aggressive new bill to block future development along iconic US coastline: 'Prevent new drilling before it starts'
A politician has introduced a bill that they hope will protect a crucial part of California's ecosystem from future fossil fuel drilling projects. On April 22, HR 2882, or the Central Coast of California Conservation Act of 2025, was introduced with the hope of protecting the state's vital shoreline. According to the bill, the "Secretary of the Interior may not issue a lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or gas in any area of the Central California Planning Area." The CCPA is comprised of 11 Central California counties that boast diverse landscapes and thriving agricultural industries. U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, who authored and introduced the bill, explained the reading behind the legislation. "The Central Coast of California Conservation Act would prevent new drilling before it starts, protecting the biodiversity of our waters and the businesses and communities that rely on them," Panetta said in a news release. "On Earth Day, and every day, we must take action to ensure we are living up to the legacy of our home to protect the incredible beauty and bounty that our ocean provides for the next generation." According to the release, U.S. coastal counties support 54.6 million jobs and $10 trillion in goods and services and pay $4 trillion in wages. The California Department of Food and Agriculture reports that the state's agriculture industry exported $23.6 billion worth of goods in 2022. In 2018, the first Trump administration unveiled a plan to open up offshore drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In one of President Donald Trump's first executive orders during his second term, he sought to "unleash" American energy. This included energy exploration and production on federal lands and waters. Monterey Bay Aquarium Executive Director Julie Packard explained that the oil production from offshore drilling projects could have devastating effects on communities. "Californians experienced too many times the heartbreaking impacts of these spills and know that thriving coastal communities and their economies depend on a healthy, vibrant ocean," Packard said. Should the government ban gas stoves? Yes Only in new buildings Only in restaurants No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Irish Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Cliona Ward, Irish woman held in US detention centre after family visit, released
Cliona Ward, the US green card holder and Irish citizen who had been arrested and imprisoned in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centre, was released after her preliminary hearing took place in Tacoma, near Seattle, on Wednesday morning. Ms Ward (54) was transferred to the private detention facility after returning to San Francisco following a visit to see her gravely ill father in Co Cork in April. She was arrested after reporting, as requested, to an immigration facility with documents proving that records for decades old drug and motor vehicle convictions had been expunged. However, she was informed that those expungements, while valid at state level, did not apply at federal level. Ms Ward moved to California at the age of 12 and has made numerous trips abroad since without any issue. READ MORE Supporters of Ms Ward have vowed to support others who become embroiled in the punitive US system. US congressman for California's 19th district Jimmy Panetta praised the collective pressure put on government representatives in her case. The successful petitioning by her Santa Cruz based attorney, Michael Mehr, to have the state charges against Ms Ward vacated in a process applicable at federal level may have helped facilitate the swift resolution. 'Cliona Ward's release demonstrates what can happen when we come together to fight for transparency, due process, and justice,' Mr Panetta said after her release was ordered. 'We fought for Cliona from the top down to the bottom up. I pressured officials from the White House to the Irish Government. But this case is also an example of this administration doing the wrong thing when it comes to its overreaching deportation policies that can sweep up people like Cliona.' Cliona Ward. Photograph: Facebook The court order comes after a harrowing few weeks for the Ward family. 'None of us have really been able to sleep properly while this has been going on,' Cliona's sister Tracey Ward told RTÉ on Wednesday. 'I'm just completely relieved. I think with Cliona gaining her freedom she will, and the rest of our family will, try and amplify our voices in support of all the people who are going through this unjust system.' Family, friends and union colleagues of Ms Ward's had gathered for an early morning rally an hour before the hearing, which was scheduled for 8.30am, local time, on Wednesday. Her sister, Orla Holladay, told the gathering Ms Ward was a 'humble, private and gentle' person who is 'the primary caretaker for her chronically ill son, Malachi. Today I speak for my sister but also speak for all of the men and women who are unlawfully imprisoned in these for-profit organisations – and the innocent children who are caught in the ugly crossfire.' A spokesperson for the Services Employees International Union, which represents workers in healthcare, property services and airport sectors across the United States, and of which Ms Ward is a member, outlined their reasons as to why the charges against her should be dismissed. Almost half of the union's 500,000 strong membership are immigrants and many of those are on temporary protected status. 'We believe that Cliona's detention is not only cruel and unjust but also represents a failure in our cruel, inhumane and broken immigration system,' said the spokesperson.
