Sen. Mark Kirk urged “strong economic pressure” to keep Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, speaking for Senate Republicans in their weekly address Saturday.
But the Illinois Republican notably didn’t criticize President Obama in the address, although leaders of his party have frequently criticized the president for too readily making concessions to Iran in the negotiations on the future of that country’s nuclear program.
Obama suggested Friday that economic sanctions could be lifted rapidly once Iran agrees to a deal, saying he’s more concerned with making sure sanctions would be quickly reinstated if Iran breaks the agreement.
Kirk didn’t weigh in on Obama’s comments in his one and a half minute address. Instead, he spoke more broadly about Iran’s threat to the U.S. and praised his own work four years ago on Iran sanctions that forced the country to begin negotiating at the time.
“We must use strong economic pressure on Iran to prevent them from getting nuclear weapons,” Kirk said. “Stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons is the greatest challenge to peace in our time.”
Kirk also invoked the Holocaust. “After the Holocaust we promised ‘never again,'” he said. “We must keep terrorists from hurting our allies and our nation.”
Negotiators are trying to reach a deal by June 30 governing how and when economic sanctions may be lifted on Iran if it agrees to curb its nuclear program. Iran wants all sanctions lifted immediately, while the U.S. and other countries have supported rolling back the sanctions in phases.
