Thune to Biden: U.S. Must Stand Up to Iran’s Aggression and Support Our Ally Israel

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WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke on the Senate floor about Iran's recent attack on Israel. Thune criticized President Biden's record of appeasing Iran, and he called on the president and congressional Democrats to stand strongly with our ally Israel and against Iranian aggression.

Thune's remarks below (as prepared for delivery):

"Mr. President, this weekend Iran and its proxies in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq fired a barrage of missiles and drones against Israel.

"The direct attack was a marked escalation on Iran's part.

"And it is time for the United States, our allies, and nations that support peace and freedom to make it clear to Iran that we are not going to stand idly by while Iran threatens Israel and foments terror in the Middle East.

"This weekend's attack was a notable escalation on Iran's part because weapons were fired from Iran and not just by Iran's proxies.

"But Iran has been threatening Israel - and undermining peace in the Middle East - for decades.

"Hezbollah. The Houthis. Shia militias in Iraq and Syria. Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

"And, of course, Hamas.

"Hamas gets approximately 90 percent of its military budget from Iran.

"And there's reason to wonder whether Hamas would even have had the capability to carry out its October 7 attack without the support it receives from Iran.

"There is certainly reason to wonder what the Middle East would look like today if Iran hadn't spent decades funding and arming terrorist organizations.

"Mr. President, enough is enough.

"There have been a lot of red lines drawn for Israel lately.

"It's past time to draw some for Iran.

"Unfortunately, the U.S. posture toward Iran under President Biden has too often been one of appeasement.

"There was President Biden's attempt to reinstate the Obama administration's flawed Iran nuclear deal.

"Then there was the Biden administration's attempt to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian assets as part of a deal to free American prisoners.

"Thankfully, the administration ultimately refroze those funds in the wake of Hamas' October 7 attack against Israel.

"But unfreezing them in the first place was a serious mistake.

"And just last month, for the second time since the October 7 attack on Israel by Iran-backed Hamas, President Biden renewed a sanctions waiver giving Iran access to $10 billion from energy sales.

"And now this week President Biden was quick to take options off the table for what U.S. assistance to Israel might look like in the wake of Iran's bold attack.

"This only suggests to Iran that there are limits to the U.S.-Israel partnership at the very time we must be making good on our ironclad relationship with Israel, not telling our ally it has to go it alone.

"It's alarming when President Biden seems more intent on preventing Israel from responding to Iran's attack than on making it clear to Iran that there can be no more of these attacks - and that Iran needs to cease all of its terrorist operations.

"Unless President Biden wants to continue to see Israel in danger, American troops threatened, and commerce through the Red Sea disrupted, he is going to have to find a much stronger posture when it comes to Iran.

"The United States should be making it clear to Iran that the United States will not allow another Iranian attack like the one that occurred this weekend - and that we will not tolerate any more aggression from Iran.

"And it shouldn't be just the United States drawing this red line.

"As I said, it is time for the United States, our allies, and nations that support peace and freedom to resoundingly reject Iran's malign agenda.

"The United States has an important role to coordinate action to back up the G7's statement and to press members of the U.N. Security Council to take a position on Iran's flagrant attack.

"The United States must also press forward to broker a deal for the normalization of Israeli and Saudi relations, the prospect of which normalization many believe motivated the October 7 terrorist attack by Iran-backed Hamas.

"And, of course, the United States must continue to push for the return of all the hostages in Gaza and help Israel in its vital mission to dismantle the threat of Hamas.

"Mr. President, there may be no easy solution to peace in the Middle East.

"But standing up to Iranian aggression would be a good start.

"Iran spends at least $800 million a year supporting terrorist groups in the Middle East.

"I ask again, what would the Middle East look like without that terrorist funding?

"I suspect it would look more peaceful and prosperous.

"And that our ally Israel - and innocent people around the Middle East - would be able to sleep more easily at night.

"So it's time for President Biden to step up.

"Continued appeasement and half measures on Iran will only prolong the cycle of violence in the Middle East and increase the risk of large-scale attacks against Israel like the barrage over the weekend.

"If President Biden steps forward with strength, perhaps the legacy of his presidency can include something more than an inflation crisis and a national security disaster at our southern border.

"Mr. President, I yield the floor."

Permalink: https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2024/4/thune-to-biden-u-s-must-stand-up-to-iran-s-aggression-and-support-our-ally-israel