Sen. Tommy Tuberville is all in on President Donald Trump’s threat to “bomb Iran back to the Stone Ages,” telling a TMZ reporter in a Capitol hallway that he has “complete faith” in Trump to handle the nuclear codes and that Iranian “radicals” “should be killed.” The brief on-camera exchange, posted Monday, adds a high-profile Senate voice to some of the administration’s most aggressive rhetoric toward Tehran.
What Tuberville Said
TMZ DC posted the clip and quotes on July 13, with reporter Jacob Wasserman catching the Alabama senator as he moved between offices. As reported by TMZ, Tuberville said he “has complete faith in Donald Trump to handle the nuclear codes” and declared that “radicals” in Iran “should be killed,” comments that run alongside the video of their quick hallway exchange.
How It Echoes Trump’s ‘Stone Age’ Vow
President Trump used the same “Stone Age” phrasing in a prime-time address in April, warning that the United States would “bring Iran back to the Stone Ages” if Tehran did not meet Washington’s demands. That language roiled markets and drew international criticism. As reported by Axios, the speech also sharpened oversight and legal questions about the administration’s military strategy.
Where Congress Stands
Congress has already moved to put some guardrails around the fight. On June 23 the Senate approved a concurrent war-powers resolution directing the president to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran in a 50-48 vote, a rare bipartisan rebuke. NBC News reported the vote, which underscored rising friction between Capitol Hill and the White House over who should control the next steps in the conflict.
Legal and Security Warnings
Military law scholars warn that scorched-earth rhetoric can undercut U.S. credibility and raise the risk of unlawful orders. Judge James Baker told Syracuse University Today that such statements “are unprecedented and harmful” and that service members must refuse clearly unlawful orders. Those cautions feed into a broader debate over the legality and human cost of degrading Iran’s civilian infrastructure.
Tuberville’s on-camera endorsement puts a senator who sits on national security committees squarely inside that debate. It shows how the White House’s wartime messaging continues to find champions on the Hill even as lawmakers vote to reassert congressional authority over sustained military action. For anyone tracking the story, the clip is another sign that hard-line war talk is likely to stay a live political issue in Washington.
