WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s intention to withdraw the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran:
“The Obama administration negotiated with the Iranian regime under the terribly misguided operating principle that any deal—even a bad deal—was better than no deal. The end result was a bad deal that offered concession after concession to the mullahs and failed to cut off Iran’s path to nuclear weapons. It was not surprising that the agreement was met with strong bipartisan opposition from Congress, and the subsequent geopolitical fallout cannot be understated. When I visited the Middle East in 2016 to meet with foreign leaders, they all expressed fears that the deal would fail to halt Iran’s march toward nuclearization and empower the regime by lifting economic sanctions. Their fears have been realized, as Iran is now more emboldened than ever, sowing chaos and promoting their terror network across the region.
“The President’s decision today provides a new opportunity for America to alleviate the concerns of our allies in the Middle East by ending the experiment of appeasement and holding Iran accountable for its belligerence. The President is also reimposing sanctions, which were effective in weakening the Iranian regime and bringing them to the negotiating table in the first place. The Iranian regime’s threat to peace and stability is real: we cannot repeat the mistakes and miscalculations of the past.”
“The Obama administration negotiated with the Iranian regime under the terribly misguided operating principle that any deal—even a bad deal—was better than no deal. The end result was a bad deal that offered concession after concession to the mullahs and failed to cut off Iran’s path to nuclear weapons. It was not surprising that the agreement was met with strong bipartisan opposition from Congress, and the subsequent geopolitical fallout cannot be understated. When I visited the Middle East in 2016 to meet with foreign leaders, they all expressed fears that the deal would fail to halt Iran’s march toward nuclearization and empower the regime by lifting economic sanctions. Their fears have been realized, as Iran is now more emboldened than ever, sowing chaos and promoting their terror network across the region.
“The President’s decision today provides a new opportunity for America to alleviate the concerns of our allies in the Middle East by ending the experiment of appeasement and holding Iran accountable for its belligerence. The President is also reimposing sanctions, which were effective in weakening the Iranian regime and bringing them to the negotiating table in the first place. The Iranian regime’s threat to peace and stability is real: we cannot repeat the mistakes and miscalculations of the past.”
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