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Romney Campaign Press Release - A Clear Choice On Preventing A Nuclear Iran

October 22, 2012

"The President has not drawn us further away from a nuclear Iran. In fact, Iran is closer to having a weapon, closer to having nuclear capability than when he took office. This is the greatest failure, in my opinion, of his foreign policy." —Mitt Romney

President Obama Entered Office Making Overtures To Iran And Claiming The Nation Has "Legitimate Aspirations":

In March 2009, President Obama "Reached Out To Iran" By Promising A "New Beginning" Based On "Mutual Respect" For The Country. "President Barack Obama reached out to Iran on Friday — the start of the Iranian New Year — in a video message offering 'the promise of a new beginning' that is 'grounded in mutual respect.' The message is a dramatic shift in tone from that of the Bush administration, which included Iran, along with North Korea and Iraq, in an 'axis of evil.'" (CNN, 3/20/09)

  • President Obama: "My Administration Is Now Committed To Diplomacy ... And To Pursuing Constructive Ties Among The United States, Iran And The International Community." "The United States has had tortuous relations with Tehran since the Islamic revolution in 1979, but the Obama message speaks of 'new beginnings' with the promise of a new year. 'We have serious differences that have grown over time. My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community,' the president said." (CNN, 3/20/09)

President Obama, In 2009: "Without Going Into Specifics, What I Do Believe Is That Iran Has Legitimate Energy Concerns, Legitimate Aspirations." (BBC, 6/2/09)

But President Obama's Overtures Have Left America Less Secure — Iran Is Marching Toward Nuclear Weapons Capability:

President Obama's "Early Overtures To Iran Were Rejected" And Iran's Nuclear Program Has Expanded. "Obama's early overtures to Iran were rejected, and the expansion of Tehran's nuclear program, which it says is purely peaceful, has created tension between Washington and Israel, which sees a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to its existence." (Reuters, 9/25/12)

Iran Has Succeeded In "Adding Thousands Of Centrifuge Machines To Its Underground Facility" And Has Grown Its Uranium Stockpile. "No firm dates for new negotiations have been set, and Middle East analysts say no breakthrough is likely until after the November election. Meanwhile, Iran's success in adding thousands of centrifuge machines to its underground facility — and the inexorable growth of its uranium stockpile — continues to stoke fears of an Israeli airstrike. It has also left the White House vulnerable to Republican charges that administration policies, while well-intentioned, have ultimately been fruitless." (The Washington Post, 9/24/12)

Just Days Ago, France's Foreign Minister Stated Iran May Be Able To Produce A Nuclear Weapon Within Months. "France's foreign minister says Iran appears on track to reach the ability to produce a nuclear weapon by the first half of next year. ... Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told Europe-1 radio Sunday that unspecified experts 'have established in an absolutely indisputable way' that Iran has compiled a full array of centrifuges that 'apparently will allow the ability to go toward possession of the nuclear weapon by the first half of next year, the end of the first half.'" (The Associated Press, 10/21/12)

The Washington Post: "The Result Is That President Obama Is Not Even Leading From Behind On Iran; He Is Simply Behind." "The result is that President Obama is not even leading from behind on Iran; he is simply behind. At the forefront of the Western effort to pressure Tehran is French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who issued a statement Monday calling on the European Union, the United States, Japan, Canada and 'other willing countries' to 'immediately freeze the assets of Iran's central bank' and suspend purchases of Iranian oil." (The Washington Post, 11/22/11)

And The Obama Administration Has Repeatedly Watered Down And Opposed The Types Of Crippling Sanctions That Should Have Been Brought To Bear Long Ago:

In 2010, The Obama Administration Bowed To Russian Pressure To Water Down U.N. Sanctions On Iran. "What is notably absent from the draft resolution, however, is any binding restriction on transactions with Iran's central bank. Among the many compromises that the United States accepted to get China and Russia to back new sanctions against Iran was an agreement to limit any reference to the bank — or Iran's entire energy sector, for that matter — to the introductory paragraphs rather than the sanctions themselves, according to American officials and other diplomats, yielding a weaker resolution than the United States would have liked." (The New York Times, 5/19/10)

In 2011, The Obama Administration Opposed Iran Central Bank Sanctions Until It Was Forced Into Them By Congress And European Partners. "The Obama administration first urged Senate leaders to compromise on new legislation that would sanction the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) — but then came out today against that very compromise, angering and alienating a key Democratic Senate ally. ... 'This certainly undermines your relationship with me for the future,' [Sen. Bob] Menendez told the administration officials. He also urged for more drastic measures, such as a gasoline embargo on Iran. 'If the Europeans are considering an embargo, we shouldn't be leading from behind, we should be leading forward.'" (Foreign Policy's "The Cable" Blog, 12/1/11)

The Obama Administration Wrote A Letter Opposing The Central Bank Sanctions That Ultimately Passed, Arguing They Would Anger Iran's Trading Partners And Actually Strengthen Iran's Economy. GEITHNER: "I am writing to express the Administration's strong opposition to this [Kirk-Menendez CBI Sanctions] amendment because, in its current form, it threatens to undermine the effective, carefully phased, and sustainable approach we have undertaken to build strong international pressure against Iran. In addition, the amendment would potentially yield a net economic benefit to the Iranian regime.... Rather than motivating these countries to join us in increasing pressure on Iran, they are more likely to resent our actions and resist following our lead..." (Secretary Tim Geithner, Letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee, 12/1/11)

In The Last Year, President Obama Has Undermined Iran Central Bank Sanctions By Issuing Exceptions To Twenty Of The Top Oil Importers From Iran — Including China. "Three days ago, the United States imposed a new round of sanctions that could punish any foreign country that buys Iranian oil. However, it has issued six-month exemptions to 20 importers of Iranian oil who have significantly cut their purchases, including China, which has openly opposed the pressure on Iran." (The New York Times, 6/30/12)

Mitt Romney, Romney Campaign Press Release - A Clear Choice On Preventing A Nuclear Iran Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/303611

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