President Donald Trump’s efforts to reimpose sanctions on Iran that then President Barack Obama removed in 2015 as part of the nuclear deal with that nation won the applause of two Republicans from the Sunshine State.
From his perch on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., applauded reimposing sanctions.
“I look forward to working with the Trump administration to ensure the United States imposes maximum pressure against the authoritarian Iranian regime’s support for terrorism, nuclear and missile programs, regional aggression, and egregious human rights abuses,” Rubio said on Friday. “More must be done to press the SWIFT financial messaging service to once again sever connections with the Central Bank of Iran and other sanctioned Iranian banks by a certain date. Sanctions waivers being given to key purchasers of Iranian oil, most alarmingly China, give Iran a financial reprieve, and should be eliminated as soon as possible.
“I also urge the United States not to waive any sanctions aimed at penalizing foreign individuals, entities, or governments engaged in civil nuclear cooperation with Iran. Maximum pressure means not only restoring all of the sanctions measures that President Obama had wrongly suspended under the flawed Iran nuclear deal, but also going further to expand sanctions on the regime in Tehran,” Rubio added.
Over on the other side of Capitol Hill, U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., also backed reimposing sanctions on Iran.
“Today, President Trump has announced he is reimposing all the sanctions that had previously been lifted under President Obama’s terrible Iran deal. These sanctions target the Central Bank of Iran and other key financial institutions. This will cut off Iran’s access to funds they use to bankroll terrorist groups, support nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and enrich their leaders. The sanctions also target key Iranian-related individuals who have known ties to Iran’s terrorism support, weapons program, engage in human rights abuses and other criminal activities,” Webster said on Friday.
“I applaud President Trump for once again keeping a campaign promise and taking seriously the responsibility to protect our country,” he added.
Rubio and Webster are not on center stage as Florida voters head to the polls on Election Day. After winning a second term in 2016, Rubio does not face the voters again until 2022. Webster faces Democrat Dana Cottrell on Tuesday to represent a district considered safe for the GOP.
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