Quote

Aggressive and irresponsible steps endanger the peace and stability of the world, and the international community feels the need to protect itself from Iran.

Without action, we are going to continue to allow Iran to be a safe harbor for terrorists, see its economy further deteriorate, and see the Middle East further destabilize.

We must continue to pursue peace through diplomacy, but we must also not shrink from our responsibility through the option of strength. We must take advantage of internal resistance and change from within Iran to avert this path of mutual destruction.

Our dear country, Iran, throughout history has been subject to threats.

Iran continues to explicitly threaten to destroy the state of Israel, America's most important ally in the region. Its leaders continue to shout, 'Death to America.' If Iran wants to be a part of the world community, it should renounce such statements.

We need to force Iran to dismantle its nuclear program entirely or face the threat of military force to destroy that program.

Why should Iran have a deterrent strategy? Well, it's surrounded by hostile enemies. Both of its borders have been under occupation by a hostile superpower, the United States, which is constantly violating the U.N. charter by leaving open what they call the saying, 'all options are open' - meaning the threat of war.

Iran's continued drive to develop nuclear capabilities, including troubling enrichment activities and past work on weaponization documented by the IAEA, and its continued support to groups like Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist organizations make clear that the regime in Tehran is a very grave threat to all of us.

The United States must also continue to push the United Nations Security Council for strong action to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions. In the meantime, it is our job to take meaningful steps to eliminate the threats posed by Iran.

I agree that a nuclear Iran is extremely dangerous, and I believe that it must be prevented.