After the highly-anticipated speech by Israel's Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu, members of Congress have begun voicing their support for his message.
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) affirmed Netanyahu's warning about the threat of Iran to world peace:
“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech reminded us not only of Israel’s role as America’s long standing and closest ally in the Middle East, but also that Iran is the greatest threat to stability in the Middle East.”
Inhofe also warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would threaten the very existence of the U.S., as well as Israel:
“Iran’s record stands for itself – it cannot be trusted. Iran remains the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, continues its efforts to develop nuclear weapons and has directly threatened the existence of Israel and the United States.”
“I stand with Netanyahu’s demands today that Iran’s government must change its behaviors. This must be a non-negotiable item in any agreement the United States seeks to reach with Iran, and anything short of it will be a bad deal, not only for Israel but for the West. If Iran continues its development of nuclear weapons, it will threaten the security of our global community.”
Inhofe ends his statement with a plea to President Obama.
“I hope the President was listening today and will reverse course on the unfortunate leverage he has given the government of Iran over the past year to continue pursuing its nuclear weapon’s capabilities.”
Inhofe wasn’t the only one to commend Netanyahu’s address.
Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) echoed Inhofe's support of Netanyahu and concerns about the threat posed by Iran's "jihadist ideology":
“The acquisition of nuclear weapons by a state dedicated to a jihadist ideology is not acceptable.”
“I applaud Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for making the case against this deal. Israel is a staunch ally of the United States and we share a mutual interest in preventing Iran from expanding its influence and exporting jihad throughout the Middle East.”
See the full statements in the section below
Sen. Jim Inhofe:
“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech reminded us not only of Israel’s role as America’s long standing and closest ally in the Middle East, but also that Iran is the greatest threat to stability in the Middle East. Iran’s record stands for itself – it cannot be trusted. Iran remains the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, continues its efforts to develop nuclear weapons and has directly threatened the existence of Israel and the United States. I stand with Netanyahu’s demands today that Iran’s government must change its behaviors. This must be a non-negotiable item in any agreement the United States seeks to reach with Iran, and anything short of it will be a bad deal, not only for Israel but for the West. If Iran continues its development of nuclear weapons, it will threaten the security of our global community. I hope the President was listening today and will reverse course on the unfortunate leverage he has given the government of Iran over the past year to continue pursuing its nuclear weapon’s capabilities.”
Rep. Ron DeSantis:
"The acquisition of nuclear weapons by a state dedicated to a jihadist ideology is not acceptable. Iran should not be permitted to have any nuclear energy, yet the deal being pressed by the Obama administration would pave the way for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. I applaud Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for making the case against this deal. Israel is a staunch ally of the United States and we share a mutual interest in preventing Iran from expanding its influence and exporting jihad throughout the Middle East. Congress needs to reject this deal and impose tough sanctions on Iran. Iran will not abandon its nuclear program unless the costs of keeping it outweigh the benefit that Iran would get from acquiring a nuclear arsenal."