Sen. Toomey lauds Trump for calling off Iran strikes, supports stricter economic sanctions

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey on Friday lauded reports of President Donald Trump’s decision to call off a planned strike on Iran in retaliation for an American drone shot down earlier this week.

Toomey said that “it’s commendable that the President’s instinctive approach is to try to avoid an escalation that could lead to war.”

“On the other hand, let’s remember this regime in Iran is responsible for killing hundreds of American soldiers in Iraq when they were designing an (improvised explosive device) … for the exclusive purpose of penetrating American armored vehicles and killing the American soldiers inside,” Toomey said shortly after an unrelated news conference at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in the city’s Lawrenceville neighborhood.

“And, so, I think very soon we may have to send an unequivocal message that this Iranian government cannot be killing Americans.”

Toomey stopped short of saying precisely what form that message should take.

The Lehigh Valley Republican said he doesn’t yet know enough pertinent details about this week’s events or range of options available to the Trump administration.

“I don’t know what those strikes were, and I don’t know what circumstances exactly called for (Trump) to withdraw the decision and even if, in fact, it’s accurate as reported that he gave a green light and then withdrew it,” Toomey said. “I just don’t know, because we haven’t had a briefing on this. It just happened, obviously.”

Trump took to Twitter Friday morning to say that the U.S. was “cocked and loaded” to retaliate against Iran for downing an American drone, but canceled the missile strikes 10 minutes before they were to be executed after being told some 150 people could die.

“In my view, Iran is playing a very, very dangerous game,” Toomey said. “They took it up another entire notch when they decided to destroy American assets.”

Toomey reiterated that he supported Trump’s decision to pull out of the nuclear arms agreement brokered under the Obama administration because it would have allowed Iran to develop the infrastructure needed for nuclear weapons.

He said that stricter economic sanctions could help the U.S. topple the Iranian regime.

“The strategy is to impose sanctions that are so tough that the regime can’t withstand the domestic pressure,” Toomey said. “Remember, this regime is not a popular regime.

“If this economy suffers further, I think we’re likely to see political unrest.”

Trump tweeted Friday that the U.S. will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. But he said he’s in no hurry to respond to the downing of the U.S. surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s statement was the latest indication that he does not want to escalate the clash with Tehran, but he didn’t rule out a future U.S. strike.

Americans ‘paying the price’ for tariffs

Posing a different — but still concerning — kind of risk to the United States is China, Toomey said.

“There is no other country in the world that is nearly as large and growing as fast and that poses the geopolitical risk,” Toomey said.

“I do think it is the intent of Chinese leadership to displace America as the world’s great power,” Toomey said, “and that would be a very bad day for the U.S. and the rest of the world because they don’t share our values and they would not embrace the kind of respect for rule of law and minority rights and the Democratic society that we do.”

Trump already has imposed 25% tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese imports. The goal is to pressure Beijing to stop stealing American technology, forcing U.S. businesses to hand over trade secrets and unfairly subsidizing Chinese tech companies.

Toomey said he thinks that “the President was right to confront China.”

“I probably would have chosen different tactics, but the President has chosen what he has chosen,” Toomey said.

But Toomey also said he has “stressed to the President repeatedly that we’re paying a price. China is, too.”

The administration, in the midst of the trade war it began with Beijing, is pondering extending the 25% tariffs to everything China ships to the U.S.

Hundreds of businesses, trade groups and individuals have written to complain that the additional import taxes would drive up prices for consumers, squeeze profits and leave U.S. companies at a competitive disadvantage to foreign rivals that aren’t subject to higher taxes on the vital components they buy from China.

“When a tariff is imposed on the products of another country, it’s paid by the consumer,” Toomey said, “and if this gets broadened to consumer products generally, people are going to notice it when they go to Target or Walmart to buy the things that they need.”

Toomey said he did not agree with Trump’s plan to extend tariffs to Mexico and Canada — “our nearest neighbors, closest friends.”

“Canada, I mean, we have a trade surplus with Canada,” Toomey said. “It made no sense.”

Toomey said he is pushing a bipartisan-backed bill that would restore to Congress the authority to have the final say on whether or not to impose tariffs related to national security threats.

More prison time for child cyberstalkers

Toomey visited Pittsburgh to discuss proposed legislation to thwart child cyberstalking.

Under the Combat Online Predators Act, felons convicted of victimizing children using social media and the web would face an additional five years in prison.

The bill also has the support of U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Bucks County, and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton.

Toomey said he believes the proposed legislation has bipartisan support from both chambers. He hopes the bill become law by the end of the year.

The Associated Press contributed.