Iran

Effectively managing threats to America and its allies.

Iran must cease its pursuit of nuclear weapons, support for terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, their direct threats to destroy Israel, and their threats to interrupt shipping channels and the flow and production of oil critical to our economy.

There is absolutely no question that if Iran attacks the United States or Israel, or if it is certain that such an attack is imminent, that we must take immediate and devastating military action.  Additionally, we must utilize every option to prevent them from gaining nuclear weapons. In the meantime, we must continue to put intense economic and diplomatic pressure on the regime to move them to more normalized relations with the world and their neighbors. 

There is also opportunity in Iran - so dramatically witnessed during the Green Revolution.  A huge number of people within Iran - led by its significant youth population - want normalized relations, peace and democracy.  America must continue to remain open to this opportunity and be ready to encourage it, while continuing to condemn the actions of the Ahmadinejan regime and his henchmen in Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

There will certainly be massive changes in Iran in the coming years - and while we should be ready to protect our interests, we should recognize that it’s the regime, not the people, who are driving most of the radical policies.