Kennedy on Iran: “We’re not trying to start a war. . . . We’re trying to end it.”

“We’re not trying to be the world’s policeman. We’re trying to stop the Ayatollah from being the world’s policeman.”

Watch Kennedy’s comments here. 

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) explained why the United States is exerting pressure on Iran’s leaders to halt their missile program in a speech on the U.S. Senate floor.

Key excerpts of the speech are below.

“We don’t know how many people he’s hung in the last six months. We don’t know how many people he’s tortured. I’ve seen estimates as high as 50,000. So that’s what this business with Iran is all about.

“We’re not trying to be the world’s policeman. We’re trying to stop the Ayatollah from being the world’s policeman. He’s getting a lot of support from President Xi Jinping in China and Vladimir Putin in Russia and Kim Jong Un in North Korea. So that’s where we find ourselves, trying to stop this war.

“And to the Ayatollah, I would say, ‘Ayatollah, you’re entitled to believe what you want. You can hate me. You can believe that. I know you hate me and what I stand for. Do you know how I sleep at night knowing that you hate me? With the fan on. That’s your right. But you can’t act on that belief.’

“Put down the nuclear weapons. Put down the nuclear enrichment. Stop exporting terrorism to Hamas and Hezbollah. End your missile program. Stop killing and torturing your people. That’s all we want. And he’s doing that as we speak. He’s at war. We’re trying to stop it.

“I’m not about to give the president any advice. He has intelligence that I don’t have, and I respect the fact that he’s being very deliberate and careful in making the decision. If we make a deal with Iran, let’s make sure we have a protocol to enforce it, because my experience in watching the Ayatollah through the years, I wouldn’t trust this man if he were three days dead.”

. . .

“Let me say it again. We’re not trying to start a war. This war began a long time ago. We’re trying to end it.”

Watch Kennedy’s speech here.  

Letter from Congress to Obama on Iran Deal

Photo source: BB4SP

Several members of the House of Representatives sent President Obama the below letter yesterday indicating their request for side agreements between the administration and the Iranian government in regards to the nuclear deal that was pushed through by Obama.  The text of the letter is below and the full letter with the signatories can be found at the below link.

Mr. President:

It has come to our attention that during the recent negotiation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran, at least two side deals were made between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran. These side deals, concerning the “roadmap for the clarification of past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear programs,” have not been made available to the United States Congress. One deal covers the Parchin military complex and the other covers prior military dimensions (PMDs) of Iran's nuclear program.

This is no small matter.  As you yourself have made clear, the agreement is “not based on trust, but on verification.”  The issue of how we will verify that Iran is being truthful about its activities at potential nuclear sites will determine whether the JCPOA can ultimately succeed.

Under the clear language of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, which you signed into law, members of Congress are entitled to the text of these two side deals.  Specifically, members have a right to all “annexes, appendices, codicils, side agreements, implementing materials, documents, and guidance, technical or other understandings and any related agreements, whether entered into or implemented prior to the agreement or to be entered into or implemented in the future.”  Congress’s legal right to these documents creates a corresponding legal obligation for your administration to provide them for our review.

The JCPOA with Iran is a matter of immense importance to the immediate and long-term security of the United States.  Members of Congress have the right and the duty to review every relevant document, every term, and every word of this agreement in order to make an informed decision about whether or not it merits our support.

We request that you provide the text of these side deals to Congress as expeditiously as possible.  If you do not possess these documents, we request that you immediately secure them from the IAEA and then provide them to Congress.  We look forward to your quick reply.

The full letter with signatories: Iran Nuke Deal Secret Agreements