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Statement by Senator Lindsey Graham on Today's Deadline Extension of the Iranian Nuclear Negotiations

July 07, 2015

Today's decision to effectively pause the clock on nuclear negotiations gives us an opportunity to take stock at how far from Obama's initial negotiating positions the talks have gone. No longer are we talking about dismantiling the nuclear program or ending enrichment activities. Instead the focus has shifted to lifting non-nuclear sanctions such as the UN arms embargo and on how limited our access to suspected nuclear sites will be. All of this comes at a time when Iran is expanding its support for terrorism throughout the entire region, effectively controlling the capitals in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon. How can there be any doubt that these negotiations have gone off the rails under Obama's weak leadership?

I have been very clear in my warnings all along: the results of a bad deal will be greater violence and chaos throughout the region, more power for the Ayatollahs in Tehran, and a very dangerous nuclear arms race in the Mideast. In the interest of our nation's security, it is time for the Obama Administration to walk away (suspend talks) and make clear that we will never lift sanctions unless Iran is fully ready to abandon its nuclear program.

Lindsey Graham, Statement by Senator Lindsey Graham on Today's Deadline Extension of the Iranian Nuclear Negotiations Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/310879

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