California Republican and member of the House Armed Services Committee Duncan Hunter joined C-SPAN’s Washington Journal Wednesday to discuss U.S.-Iranian policy, saying that the U.S. should use tactical nuclear devices rather than putting boots on the ground if it were ever to attack Iran.
HUNTER: I think people like to toss around the fact that we have to stop them in some way from giving them this nuclear capability. I think it's inevitable. If you hit Iran, you do it with tactical nuclear devices and set them back a decade or two or three. That's what you do with a massive aerial bombardment campaign.
When asked if war with Iran was inevitable, Hunter responded, "I sure as hell hope not." Hunter also noted that any aerial bombardment would be a "huge undertaking" and cost "billions and billions of dollars", but would be vastly preferable to a ground war in Iran.
Hunter also expressed his support for the new round of economic sanctions against Iran, a measure that has garnered bipartisan support in both the Senate and House to the frustration of the Obama White House. Hunter criticized the administration’s rejection of new sanctions, saying the White House and State Department "are so in love the idea of just saying the did something here, whether it works or not, that they’re blind to reality."