Republican leaders on Capitol Hill are calling on President Biden to get tougher on Iran in the wake of Tuesday’s missile attack on Israel, urging the administration to adopt a series of specific measures designed to cripple the military powers of Tehran and its proxies.

In a series of speeches, statements and social media posts, the top Republicans in both chambers pressed the president to adopt a combination of new penalties on Iran — both financial and military — while escalating the military aid Washington provides to Israel. The GOP leaders suggested the absence of those measures had emboldened Tehran to launch Tuesday’s attack.

“The Biden Administration has repeatedly threatened Iran with ‘severe consequences’ for its campaign of terror against Israel and the United States, but failed to impose them,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement. “It has pledged ‘ironclad’ support for Israel, only to delay and withhold the security assistance that would give this pledge any weight."

“It is not enough to issue statements.”

Behind Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House GOP leaders offered a similar assessment, urging the Biden administration to exert “maximum pressure” on Tehran, to include the strict enforcement of existing sanctions, which Republicans accuse Biden of failing to do.

“It’s hypocritical for the administration to express support for Israel’s defense while continuing to appease the Iranian regime........

© The Hill