Sen. Cruz Applauds the Trump Administration for Enforcing Snapback Sanctions on Iran, Finalizing End of Iran Deal

As member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I issued the following statement after the Trump administration issued new sanctions on Iran and amid reports that the United States is issuing an executive order locking in snapback sanctions in UN Security Council Resolution 2331, restoring all international sanctions on Iran and preventing the United Nations Arms embargo on Iran from expiring in October: 

I applaud the Trump administration for taking these important steps to lock in the snapback mechanism, effective tonight, putting the final nail in the coffin of the catastrophic Obama-Biden Iran nuclear deal and restoring all international sanctions on Iran – including the arms embargo. Had President Trump not taken this step, the arms embargo on Iran would have been lifted in just a few short weeks, and then after that the ballistic missile ban, allowing Iran to build an unlimited civilian nuclear program endorsed by the U.N.

Just last month, the Trump administration presented a resolution at the U.N. to extend the arms embargo that was opposed by China and Russia, with our European allies refusing to take sides. Because of European fecklessness, we were left with no choice: we needed to invoke the snapback mechanism in order to prevent Iran from obtaining weapons from China and Russia. Invoking the snapback mechanism – built into the Iran deal specifically so that the United States could at any time unilaterally determine that Iran has violated the deal and force a restoration of sanctions, including the arms embargo – was a necessary step the Trump administration had to take to prevent Iran from accumulating weapons and building its nuclear program. Tonight, the Trump administration is taking action to definitively counter Iran’s aggression.

I have led the fight against the Iran Nuclear Deal since it was first negotiated, and has repeatedly led calls to invoke the snapback mechanism, including most recently after our European allies fecklessly refused to stand with the U.S. at the U.N. Security Council. Recently, I applauded the Trump administration’s decision to end the civil nuclear waivers for international nuclear cooperation with Iran. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I have taken a number of actions to finally shred the catastrophic Obama-Iran nuclear deal, including:

·         Introducing bipartisan legislation to impose sanctions on those who use civilians as human shields, including terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as their enablers.

·         Introducing legislation with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) dismantle a key remaining part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in response to the Trump administration’s repeated issuance of waivers for civil nuclear projects contemplated by the deal.

·         Urging President Trump to end remaining civil waivers stemming from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) following Iran’s announcement that it will no longer be bound by the terms of the Obama-Iran deal.