Press Releases

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement after the extension of the June 30 nuclear agreement deadline with Iran:

"The Administration’s deadlines and redlines with Iran are all moving in the wrong direction, and the backpedaling is a major threat to our security. Achieving a nuclear deal at all costs is not only short-sighted, it is dangerous. It is clear Iran is engaged in a full-scale campaign to sow instability and harm U.S. interests. It is beefing up its own military capabilities, while continuing to support the Assad regime, Hamas, the Houthis in Yemen, and Lebanese Hezbollah. In addition, recent press reports suggest that in the midst of negotiations, Iran continues to provide assistance to some elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan. This is to say nothing of the fact that Iran is threatening our troops, our allies, and their neighbors with ballistic missiles. Even with the most advantageous terms possible in the nuclear deal, Iran will be free to continue this behavior.

"The situation in the Middle East has deteriorated substantially in the last six years. Iranian influence is a key factor in the decline. What is the administration's strategy for dealing with this influence other than the nuclear talks? Deadlines come and go; Iran’s power play persists."