Ted Deutch Presses Obama to Get Tough With Iran

U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., the ranking Democrat on the House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, urged President Barack Obama to hold Iran accountable after Iran tested missiles in violation of UN resolutions. 

Deutch, who opposed Obama’s deal with Iran over its nuclear program, joined U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-Mass., in writing Obama on Wednesday. 

 “Iran’s recent long-range ballistic missile launches amount to clear and indisputable violations of existing U.N. Security Council resolutions,” Deutch saud. “Failure to hold Iran accountable for these violations sends a dangerous message to the regime that it can abandon its obligations under international law and threaten the security of the United States, Israel, and our allies without consequence. Given that the entire framework of the JCPOA rests on strict verification and rigorous enforcement, the United States must make clear to Iran and to the world that such behavior will not be tolerated.” 

“Any agreement with Iran is not built on trust, but strict and vigilant enforcement,” said Kennedy. “These two missile launches are in clear violation of existing UNSC resolutions, and if the Security Council refuses to hold the Iranian government accountable, the United States must take action unilaterally. As we move towards implementation of the JCPOA, ignoring violations of the agreement will send a troubling signal to not only Iran, but to our allies in the region about our commitment to vigorously enforcing its restrictions.”