Sen. Mark Kelly warns Americans are 'at greater risk' of Iran-inspired retaliation

Sen. Mark Kelly said he fears that the U.S. strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities will trigger retaliatory attacks against Americans at home and abroad.

Mr. Kelly said the 40,000 troops stationed in six countries across the Middle East “are now at greater risk.”

“I think folks here at home as well are at greater risk. We could see terrorist attacks here,” the Arizona Democrat said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “The Iranians still have a lot of proxies. They could go after us. The escalatory factor of this action that was taken yesterday is significant.”

The Department of Homeland Security issued a warning Sunday that the “ongoing Iran conflict is causing a heightened threat environment in the United States.”

“Low-level cyber attacks against US networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against US networks,” the advisory says. “Iran also has a long-standing commitment to target US Government officials it views as responsible for the death of an Iranian military commander killed in January 2020.”

“The likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would likely increase if Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland,” it said.

President Trump and administration officials have made it clear that the ball is now in Iran’s court and that there could be future military action if Iran continues to pursue a nuclear weapon.

“Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,” Mr. Trump said Saturday night in an address to the nation, flanked by Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.