Statewide Iowa — Republican Senator Joni Ernst is leading a bipartisan group of lawmakers calling for a new Middle East agreement, to counter Iran.
Ernst says Wednesday’s drone attack on a U.S. consulate in Iraq shows Iran and its proxies are a growing threat in the region.
Ernst envisions a security cooperation agreement among the U.S., Iraq, Israel, the United Arab Emirates as well as other Arab nations. She says it would set the stage for integrating air and missile defense systems in those countries.
Ernst has introduced a bill that outlines these ideas. She says it’s not about creating something like NATO, where partner nations pledge to provide military support to a member that’s attacked or invaded. Instead, Ersnt says the goal is to ensure defense systems in Middle East countries that are U.S. allies can effectively communicate and respond to missile attacks in the region.
Democratic senators from New Jersey and Nevada and a Republican senator from Oklahoma joined Ernst Thursday in co-sponsoring the bill.
