Campaign Statements — Iran

Monday March 05, 2012

“We have worked so diligently to set up the most crippling sanctions ever with respect to Iran.”

“We do not want to see a nuclear arms race in one of the most volatile regions in the world. We do not want the possibility of a nuclear weapon falling into the hands of terrorists. And we do not want a regime that has been a state sponsor of terrorism being able to feel that it can act even more aggressively or with impunity as a consequence of its nuclear power.

That’s why we have worked so diligently to set up the most crippling sanctions ever with respect to Iran. We do believe that there is still a window that allows for a diplomatic resolution to this issue, but ultimately the Iranians’ regime has to make a decision to move in that direction, a decision that they have not made thus far.”

CATEGORIES: Barack Obama | Iran |

Monday March 05, 2012

“We have worked…to set up the most crippling sanctions ever.”

“Let me reiterate. Number one: ... As I emphasized yesterday, it is profoundly in the interests [of the United States and Israel to stop Iran]. We do not want to see a nuclear arms race in one of the most volatile regions in the world. We do not want a nuclear weapon falling into the hands of terrorists. That’s why we have worked so diligently to set up the most crippling sanctions ever.”

CATEGORIES: Barack Obama | Iran |

Sunday March 04, 2012

“Now is not the time for bluster; now is the time to let our increased pressure sink in.”

“Already, there is too much loose talk of war. Over the last few weeks, such talk has only benefited the Iranian government, by driving up the price of oil, which they depend upon to fund their nuclear program. For the sake of Israel’s security, America’s security, and the peace and security of the world, now is not the time for bluster; now is the time to let our increased pressure sink in, and to sustain the broad international coalition that we have built. Now is the time to heed that timeless advice from Teddy Roosevelt: speak softly, but carry a big stick.”

CATEGORIES: Barack Obama | Iran | Israel/Palestine |

Sunday March 04, 2012

“I have a policy to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”

“Iran’s leaders should know that I do not have a policy of containment; I have a policy to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. And as I’ve made clear time and again during the course of my presidency, I will not hesitate to use force when it is necessary to defend the United States and its interests.”

CATEGORIES: Barack Obama | Iran |

Sunday March 04, 2012

“An opportunity remains for diplomacy - backed by pressure - to succeed.”

“That is where we are today. Iran is isolated, its leadership divided and under pressure. And the Arab Spring has only increased these trends, as the hypocrisy of the Iranian regime is exposed, and its ally – the Assad regime – is crumbling. Of course, so long as Iran fails to meet its obligations, this problem remains unsolved. The effective implementation of our policy is not enough – we must accomplish our objective. In that effort, I firmly believe that an opportunity remains for diplomacy – backed by pressure – to succeed.”

CATEGORIES: Barack Obama | Iran |

Sunday March 04, 2012

“An Iranian nuclear weapon could fall into the hands of a terrorist organization.”

“Let’s begin with a basic truth that you all understand: no Israeli government can tolerate a nuclear weapon in the hands of a regime that denies the Holocaust, threatens to wipe Israel off the map, and sponsors terrorist groups committed to Israel’s destruction. And so I understand the profound historical obligation that weighs on the shoulders of Bibi Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, and all of Israel’s leaders.

A nuclear-armed Iran is completely counter to Israel’s security interests. But it is also counter to the national security interests of the United States. Indeed, the entire world has an interest in preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. A nuclear-armed Iran would thoroughly undermine the non-proliferation regime that we have done so much to build. There are risks that an Iranian nuclear weapon could fall into the hands of a terrorist organization.”

CATEGORIES: Barack Obama | Iran | Israel/Palestine |

Wednesday February 22, 2012

“Al Qaeda has had a plan to…bankrupt this country. That’s exactly what they’re doing.”

“You know, I’ve tried the moral argument. I’ve tried the constitutional argument on these issues. And they don’t go so well. But there’s an economic argument, as well.

As a matter of fact, Al Qaeda has had a plan to bog us down in the Middle East and bankrupt this country. That’s exactly what they’re doing. We’ve spent $4 trillion of debt in the last 10 years being bogged down in the Middle East.

The neoconservatives who now want us to be in Syria, want us to go to Iran, have another war, and we don’t have the money. Today gasoline hit $6 a gallon in Florida. And we don’t have the money.

So I don’t believe I’m going to get the conversion on the moral and the constitutional arguments in the near future. But I’ll tell you what, I’m going to win this argument for economic reasons. Just remember, when the Soviets left, they left not because we had to fight them. They left because they bankrupted this country and we better wake up, because that is what we’re doing here. We’re destroying our currency and we have a financial crisis on our hands.”

CATEGORIES: Iran | Ron Paul | War on Terror |

Wednesday February 22, 2012

“Syria is [Iran’s] only ally in the Arab world [and] provides a shadow over Lebanon.”

“Syria is [Iran’s] key ally. It’s their only ally in the Arab world. It is also their route to the sea. Syria provides a shadow over Lebanon. Syria is providing the armament of Hezbollah in Lebanon that, of course, threatens Israel, our friend and ally.

We have very bad news that’s come from the Middle East over the past several months, a lot of it in part because of the feckless leadership of our president. But one little piece of good news, and that is the key ally of Iran, Syria, has a leader that’s in real trouble. And we ought to grab a hold of that like it’s the best thing we’ve ever seen.

There’s things that we’re having a hard time getting our hands around, like, what’s happening in Egypt. But in Syria, with Assad in trouble, we need to communicate to the Alawites, his friends, his ethnic group, to say, look, you have a future if you’ll abandon that guy Assad.

We need to work with Saudi Arabia and with Turkey to say, you guys provide the kind of weaponry that’s needed to help the rebels inside Syria. This is a critical time for us.

If we can turn Syria and Lebanon away from Iran, we finally have the capacity to get Iran to pull back. And we could, at that point, with crippling sanctions and a very clear statement that military action is an action that will be taken if they pursue nuclear weaponry, that could change the course of world history.”

CATEGORIES: The Arab Spring | Iran | Mitt Romney |

Wednesday February 22, 2012

“We would be the largest producer of oil in the world by the end of this decade.”

“Well, the first thing I’d do, across the board for the entire region, is create a very dramatic American energy policy of opening up federal lands and opening up offshore drilling, replacing the EPA.

The Iranians have been practicing closing the Straits of Hormuz, which has one out of every five barrels of oil in the world going through it. We have enough energy in the United States that we would be the largest producer of oil in the world by the end of this decade. We would be capable of saying to the Middle East, “We frankly don’t care what you do. The Chinese have a big problem because you ain’t going to have any oil. But we would not have to be directly engaged.”

CATEGORIES: Iran | Newt Gingrich |