The U.S. advocated for the president to use nuclear weapons in the event of an attack

A number of American congressmen have advocated the use of nuclear weapons by the U.S. president without congressional approval in the event of an attack by another state. This was reported by The New York Times on Tuesday, December 17.

According to the newspaper, 530 congressmen were interviewed, who will begin work in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in January. They were asked whether they support the president's "unilateral right" to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike and whether they agree that the president should be able to "respond to a nuclear attack" by another country without congressional approval. The poll also asked congressmen to rate how comfortable they are that Donald Trump, who won the U.S. election, could wield these powers.

The Democrats surveyed favored the need for congressional approval for the use of nuclear weapons. However, in the responses provided, some advocated for the leader to use nuclear weapons without waiting for congressional approval in response to an attack on the U.S. by foreign nations. California Democrat Scott Peters, for example.

"As commander in chief, the president has the responsibility to protect the homeland from military action. The authority to respond to a nuclear attack using our own nuclear arsenal is consistent with that responsibility and ensures that we can deter such aggression," said Hawaii House of Representatives member Jill Tokuda.

The publication noted that the majority of Republicans polled did not provide answers to all the questions, but expressed support for Trump.

Earlier, on December 13, The Wall Street Journal newspaper, citing informed sources, reported that Trump is considering pre-emptive airstrikes on Iran to prevent the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons. It was specified that this could contribute to the violation of the policy of containment of Tehran through diplomacy and sanctions. In addition, Iran's nuclear breakout is of great concern to Trump.