WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement on President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

“I strongly support President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.  He made a strong and convincing case for this position. 

“The agreement has always been fatally flawed when it came to controlling Iranian nuclear ambitions.  With the mere passage of time, the deal allows Iran to enrich and reprocess uranium – without limitation – on its march toward a nuclear weapon.  This would have required our Arab allies to develop a nuclear weapon of their own to counter the growing Iranian threat. 

“There are some who blindly supported this deal, regardless of the risks it posed to our own national security.  They sincerely believed that by providing Iran with sanctions relief, the Iranians would change course and become a better member of the family of nations.  Those assumptions have proven to be a disastrous mistake. 

“Instead, Iran has used the funds provided by sanctions relief to significantly enhance their military capability and create havoc throughout the Middle East.  They also have used the funds to increase the threats posed to our ally in Israel.

“I hope President Trump will work with our allies around the world to find a better deal which will truly end Iran’s nuclear weapons ambition and hold them accountable for being the largest state-sponsor of terrorism. 

“Of equal importance, today’s action also sends a strong signal to the North Koreans.  The Trump Administration is serious about denuclearization and will not support weak deals with loopholes.  President Trump is not going to let the Iranians – or the North Koreans – have it both ways.  He certainly isn’t going to repeat President Obama and Secretary Kerry’s mistakes.”

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