Floor Remarks by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Senate President Pro Tempore
“Success of U.S. Military Operations in Iran”
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
I want to make some remarks about Iran. I do it in light of the fact that diplomacy ought to be used before war, and I’m well aware of [the] hard work of our vice president and other people on his team in Pakistan last week, working almost 24 hours to reach an agreement.
And it was not reached.
Some reports late last night [and] earlier this morning indicate that maybe Iran is willing to sit down and talk again. So, in light of that and what we know and what we hope happens, I make these remarks.
On February the 28th, 2026, the United States began combat operations in Iran. Action [was] taken to protect U.S. Americans by preventing Iran from ever having a nuclear weapon.
That’s not only to protect the United States, but that weapon could be used any place on this globe. And we don’t want that to happen.
But the most important thing is the president, as commander-in-chief, is exercising his responsibilities, the number one responsibility that he has and our nation has, [which is] to protect the American people.
Now, these operations have demonstrated the unmatched strength, precision and professionalism of the United States military.
America is very fortunate to have the strongest military in the world, capable of not only projecting power, but of doing so with discipline, coordination and a clear sense of mission.
I want to express my deep gratitude and pride in the men and women in uniform who are carrying out this mission and to [think of] the families of Declan Coady, a young man from West Des Moines, and Major Jeffrey O'Brien, a man from Indianola, Iowa, who both paid the ultimate price to protect us.
We think about their families at this time, but it also is a reminder that these men who lost their lives, as well as people who are still fighting, [that their] courage, skill and commitment to protecting our nation reflect the very best of our men and women in uniform.
Now, what we’ve known for a long period of time is that Iran has used their money to finance terrorism around the world, even in the United States, as has been demonstrated by three or four actions since the war happened.
And they’re the number one [state] supporter of terrorism, financially, and they use their missiles to blackmail that part of the globe. But what we’ve learned is they have more capability than just affecting blackmail in the Middle East, because we’ve learned that they have longer range missiles that could reach Berlin, Paris and London.
And when is the next step, that those missiles could reach the United States?
So, under the leadership of President Trump, the United States is taking decisive action to provide safety and certainty for the American people.
More than 85% of Iran’s defense industrial base has been destroyed. 150 warships have been destroyed, and 70% of Iran’s facilities and ground control stations have been destroyed or degraded.
In total, over 13,000 targets have been struck, and over 1,000 attack drones and 700 ballistic missiles have been intercepted.
Preventing war through diplomacy is very important…Preventing Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon isn’t just a policy objective. It’s a national security priority.
I’m encouraged that military operations have been successful in advancing this goal and that Iran has now agreed to a ceasefire as this administration continues to negotiate a broader peace agreement.
This success sends a clear signal: the United States will act when its security is at stake, and we will do so with strength and with resolve.
The progress made so far underscores both the capability of our military and the importance of sustained leadership by President Trump as our commander-in-chief.
I stand firmly behind our service members and remain committed to ensur[ing] that Iran never poses a nuclear threat to the United States.
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