Prepared Floor Remarks by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
On U.S.-Iran Policy Correction
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
When President Obama signed the Iran deal, we were led to believe that this rapprochement with the Iranian regime would induce it to moderate its aggressive foreign policy and that it would likely spend the money made available through the deal on economic development for its people.
Instead, under the direction of Soleimani, Iran accelerated its efforts at regional domination, funding terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, the Assad regime in Syria, and the Houthi rebels fomenting civil war in Yemen.
Meanwhile, the suffering Iranian people staged widespread demonstrations against their government, which were met with a violent crackdown that killed hundreds.
Appeasement didn’t work, but it’s looking like deterrence is having an effect.
