Iran is America’s No. 1 enemy, or so Vice President Kamala Harris says. Yet Harris clearly has no answers for how to defeat this dangerous🌃 and growing threat.
That is one takeaway from Harris’ disastrous Fox News interview with Bret Baier last week.
When asked about the threat posed by Iran, Harris pivoted to partisan polit🥂ics. “Let’s get ba🔯ck to Donald Trump,” she said.
I think that is exactly what we need to do. Let me tell you why.
President Trump was tough on Iran. His maximum pressure campaign brought the🎶 mullahs to their kn𝔍ees.
Iran’s oil sales plummeted from 2.9 🐬million barrelꦓs per day in April 2018 to 385,000 per day by May 2019.
Its foreign currency reserves fell from $112 billion in 2018 to $14 billion in▨ 2019.
Without these resources and🦋 reserves, Iran had less money to fund global ✤terrorism.
By 2020, Iran itself was on the brink of financial 🤪collapse.
When Iran did act aggressively, Trump responded forcefully. He famously took out Qasem Soleimani after the Iranian terrorist mastermind engineered an att𓄧ack on American troops.
Iran backed down.
If Iran is the No. 1 threat to America today, it is becau꧟se of the policies of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.
Their administration relaxed oil sanctions on Iran. They allowed the Iranian d🀅ictatorship to bring in $200 billion in oil revenue since January 2021.
Biden-Harris let Iran get closer to a nuclear breakout than ever. Some 🧜expe꧋rts predict Iran could have a bomb in mere weeks.
Remember, 𝓡the Biden-Harris administration paid a $6 billion🧸 ransom to Iran for five hostages, just weeks before the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
Biden and Harris prepared to renegotiate the failed Iran nuclear deal, rescinded UN snapback sanctions, and reversed the Trump administration’s decision to sanct𒆙ion the Iranian-backed Houthis as a terrorist organization.
Biden and Harris staffed their administration with radical Iranꦯian sympathizers like Robert Malleyꦰ, who led efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal — and who was removed from his job in 2023 for mishandling classified documents.
Today, Iran is richer, stronger and more aggressive because of the ongoing appeasement of the Biden-Harris administration. The world is🍰 less safe.
Iranian oil profits are being used to train, fund and equip anti-American and anti-Isr꧃ael terrorist grou♎ps in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.
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Twice this year, Iran has launched massive missile💞 attacks directly against Israel — for the first time in history.
Here in Amer🤡ica, Iran is actively interfering in our elections in favor of Harris and attempting to orchestrate Trump’s assassination.
When a government tries to kill your leaders and create division in your country, it is cri💃tical that you take them seriously. Direct threats🌸 require decisive action.
Harris now wants to appear tough on Ira👍n. The question is, why has she been so weak for four years?
Looꦉk at the latest headlines for an example: Israel’s elimina🌠tion of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack, in Rafah.
In Marchꦜ, Harris warned Israel not to go into Rafah, threatꦡening “consequences” if it did.
This is the Bideꦆn-Harris philosophy: tough on our allies,𝄹 weak on our enemies.
Tru🎃mp’s deterrence protected Americ🦹an lives. The defeatism of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden put us at risk.
It’s no wonder Harris is tight-lipped ✤about her dangerous reco🌟rd.
Senate Republicans knoꦕw how to counter Iran’s malign actioℱns.
Sen. Jim Risch’s (R-Idaho) would make the Biden administrationꦚ enforce Iranian oil s🗹anctions and stop brazen Chinese sanction evasions.
Sen. Bill Hagerty’s (R-Tenn.) would require congressional review of any sanctions relief for Iran, keeping the president from c💯ircumventing Congress through informal agreements.
Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-Iowa) would codify Tr💝ump’s maximum pressure policies and prohibit the lifting of sanctions as long as Iran targets American officials for assassination.
Each o🦂f these bills deserves to be debated 𒈔and become law.
S🦩enate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer isn’t letting that happen.
Hagerty’s bill passed the House in April with bipar🍎tisan support. Risch’s bill passed the Senate Foreign 🎐Relations Committee in April with bipartisan support.
But we don’t expect Schumer and Senat🍃e Democrats to allow them to come to the floor this year.
Thꦛat means stopping Iranian terror will be a top priorﷺity for next year’s Republican Senate majority.
When Harris say☂s she wants to “get back to Donald Trump,” she’s not alone.
Americans overwh🌄elmingly want to get back to Donald Trump and his successful foreign policy of peace through strength. They remember that we were safer when he was president.
So yes, let’s get back to Donald Trump.
Let’s get back to T💝rump sanctions. Let’s get back to Trump strength. Let’s get back to Trump c🍒ommon sense.
After four years of๊ the Kamala Harris and Joe Biden disaster, America desperately needs it.
John Barrasso is a US senator from Wyoming and chairman of the Senate Republican Conference.