“Iranians are rejecting the poverty, the repression, and the ruin brought forth by four decades of tyranny… From Europe and South America to right here in the United States Senate, we bear witness to the contrast between the Iranian people’s bravery and the Iranian regime’s brutality.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today spoke on the Senate Floor to affirm America’s support for the Iranian people as they demand their freedom.
Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.
Sen. Barrasso’s remarks as prepared:
“I rise today to stand with the brave people of Iran, the people who are in their fight for freedom. For the past two weeks, they have taken to the streets in 185 cities in all 31 provinces of Iran. It is unlike anything their country has seen in a generation. Iranians are rejecting the poverty, the repression, and the ruin brought forth by four decades of tyranny. America stands with them. Free people everywhere are watching. From Europe and South America to right here in the United States Senate, we bear witness to the contrast between the Iranian people’s bravery and the Iranian regime’s brutality.
“The regime’s answer to these legitimate protests has been mass murder. Ayatollah Khamenei has unleashed his Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He has unleashed them to massacre his own citizens. Credible reports estimate that thousands – perhaps tens of thousands – are dead. This surpasses the death toll of previous crackdowns throughout the Iranian regime’s history of bloodshed. Tens of thousands of protesters have been thrown into prison. The regime has shut off internet and phone access. It is desperate to hide its crimes. It has failed. The truth has gotten out.
“For decades, Iran’s government has been the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Now, it has turned that terror onto its own people.
“I applaud President Trump’s leadership on Iran. His strategy has brought Iran to this breaking point. He withdrew from the failed nuclear deal. He destroyed Iran’s nuclear program. He rebuilt the sanctions the previous administration tore down. Maximum Pressure has strangled the regime’s revenue and exposed its weakness.
“A weak Iran is a safer America. The Ayatollah has a history of paying his henchmen – Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and other terrorist groups. Iran kidnaps American citizens. It holds them for ransom. Iranian-backed militias killed one in six American troops during the war in Iraq. Today, it continues to target our troops throughout the Middle East. Iran’s allies and enablers today are in Beijing and Moscow. They share Iran’s hatred of our freedom and our people. They share its determination to undermine our strength. Their conspirator from Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, is now behind bars. What is happening in Iran today will determine the future of the entire Axis of Aggression.
“President Trump has made it clear where the United States stands. Those who massacre innocent civilians will be held to account. This week, President Trump announced that any country that trades with Iran will face tariffs of 25 percent. We must continue to take action to help the people of Iran. In recent weeks, the United States successfully seized several tankers that were smuggling oil from Venezuela. They were smuggling it in violation of international sanctions. We must now target Iran’s vast so-called ‘Ghost Fleet’ with the same resolve. Those vessels smuggle Iranian oil in defiance of sanctions. Cash from the oil fills the regime’s war chest and funds its murderous ways. Every dollar we deny the Iranian government is one less bullet they can fire at their own people.
“The regime in Iran is weaker today than at any time since their revolution in 1979. Its grip on power is slipping. The world sees its true evil. We must stand with those who risk everything for freedom. When America stands for freedom, our nation and the entire world is safer.”
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