Corker on New Iran Sanctions: “We Finally Are Pushing Back in the Way That We Should”

WASHINGTON – During an interview on CNBC’s “Closing Bell”, U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today credited the Trump administration for imposing new sanctions on Iran following Tehran’s most recent ballistic missile test that violated a U.N. Security Council resolution.

“We finally are pushing back [on Iran] in the way that we should,” said Corker. “They've violated the missile test ban; they've violated conventional weapons purchases; they're violating the amount of heavy water that they keep in place, and so I'm just thankful that we've got an administration now that is on top of this…They laid out a plan. They called their international partners around the world early this morning, and they put it in place; and I congratulate them and thank them and appreciate the opportunity to work with them on this.”

Corker warned about the consequences of allowing Iran to violate the nuclear agreement, anticipating further steps by the Trump administration to counter Iran’s hostile actions.

“If we do not push back against Iran and just…radically enforce this agreement, they will take every opportunity to violate, and over time, you know, they will, in fact, be in a very different place,” he said. “So this is an important step; it's an important signal, and I think more is going to be coming on the way.”

Corker voted against the nuclear deal with Iran and led the opposition in Congress. Since the agreement was signed in 2015, Iran has violated international restrictions on ballistic missiles and arms exports while also exceeding limits on nuclear material set by the JCPOA.

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