Newsletter: 4/12/15

Statement

Friends,

At a time when barbaric terrorists like ISIS and murderous regimes like Iran wreak havoc throughout the Middle East and threaten global security, America owes it to our allies and our citizens to lead. Unfortunately, President Obama and his administration have not done a credible job in demonstrating strength of conviction in this region. This was the case in Syria, where President Obama failed to hold President Bashar Al-Assad accountable for crossing the "red line." We're now seeing dangerous consequences in Yemen, which was once touted as an anti-terrorism success story, as it descends into a civil war. These events are the direct culmination of the administration's feckless management of international affairs and unfocused strategy in the Middle East. President Obama's failure to project American leadership on the global stage is continuing to undermine our allies, embolden our enemies and create doubts about America's strength.

To put it simply, our allies do not trust us and our enemies do not fear us, which is demonstrated by the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran. President Obama has time and time again offered dangerous concessions to Iran at the expense of Israel, our strongest ally in the Middle East. Recently, the Obama administration and international negotiators announced they reached a framework for a future agreement aimed to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Since then, President Obama and his top advisors have relentlessly tried to peddle this faulty framework to Congress, the American people and our allies.

Despite the smoke and mirrors, we can clearly see that this preliminary deal could potentially pave Tehran's path to a nuclear bomb.

One of the most alarming red flags under the framework is the fact that Iran would be allowed to continue operating thousands of centrifuges. Further, it leaves much of Tehran's nuclear infrastructure in place, including its once secret underground facility at Fordow, which would remain open for "peaceful research." Allowing Iran to continue pursuing nuclear technology with the false pretense of peace gives it the capability to build a weapon before the world can react. In fact, President Obama told NPR News last week that - if the general outline of the accord is agreed to and followed by Iran - once it expires, Iran would be able to build a nuclear bomb almost immediately. If the president admitted that this framework could lead to a nuclear-equipped Iran and a subsequent nuclear arms race in the Middle East, why should we accept it?

In addition to legitimizing Iran's quest for nuclear capabilities, this interim outline suggests that our strongest sanctions would be lifted almost immediately. These sanctions are the only reason Iran is at the negotiating table. Contrary to the narrative the administration is portraying that Iran will receive economic relief only upon verification, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei demanded that all sanctions be lifted exactly when a final agreement is signed. Lifting sanctions would be extraordinarily naive and empower Iran to strengthen its economy, build its nuclear program and funnel even more money and weapons to terrorist groups.

It is no secret that I have long been a skeptic of negotiating with such an untrustworthy regime. As it pretends to engage in good-faith negotiations, Iran continues to aggressively drive its regional influence and fill the vacuum of power in the Middle East. Consider this, in the wake of the interim deal, Iranian leader's publicly called for "Death to America." I agree that diplomacy is the preferred method to negotiate with Iran, but instead of accepting a bad deal, we must pursue every avenue to ensure that Iran does not fully develop nuclear weapons.

As your Representative, I will continue to be a strong voice for our national security interests and in opposition of any deal that paves the way for Iran to obtain nuclear weapons capabilities.


Until next week,

Richard Hudson
Member of Congress (NC-08)

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