Senator Ted Cruz
Calls for release of unjustly detained American prisoners in Iran and addresses recertification of Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today called for the unconditional release of all U.S. citizens unjustly imprisoned in Iran, including Princeton graduate student Xiyue Wang, who was recently sentenced by the Iranian regime to 10 years in the brutal Evin prison. He also addressed the Administration’s recertification of Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“Last week we discovered Iran had sentenced an American citizen and Princeton graduate student Xiyue Wang to 10 years in prison, but nevertheless the State Department moved forward to recertify that Iran is in full compliance with the nuclear deal. That should cause all of us great concern, and both Congress and the administration should be doing everything possible to secure Wang’s release and that of other American citizens unjustly detained.
“The Obama Iran Deal is wholly inadequate and paves the way for Iran to develop nuclear weapons. The inspection regime is designed to facilitate cheating by requiring effectively three weeks advance notice, and by limiting the most sensitive sites to inspection solely by the Iranians. In the 1990s, the American people received numerous assurances that North Korea would abide by a very similar agreement. Kim Jong-Il happily took the billions of dollars that previous administrations sent, and have used those funds to develop nuclear weapons. I believe the Ayatollah Khamenei intends to do the exact same thing.
“There is no greater threat on the face of the earth to the United States than that of a nuclear Iran. This week’s certification was unfortunate and dangerous, and very hard to justify with the facts on the ground. There is another certification that is due in October, and another upcoming deadline for waiving sanctions. I look forward to receiving a full briefing from the administration on the abundant evidence of Iranian non-compliance, stringent measures to correct those violations, and ways to secure the rapid release of Americans unjustly held in Iran.”
Sen. Cruz is calling for several actions that Congress and the Administration should take as soon as possible to secure the release of Americans unjustly detained in Iran and address concerns related to certification of the Iran deal:
- First, the House and the Senate should prioritize the release of all unjustly imprisoned U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents in the country.
- Second, the administration should designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization in order to halt Iran’s illicit and destabilizing activity.
- Third, the Administration should (1) predicate any future certification of Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal on a verifiable determination by the Administration that Iran has in fact complied, (2) withhold any upcoming waivers of sanctions on Iran, and (3) demand that Iran release all American citizens illegally and unjustly held in its custody.
- Fourth, the administration should strengthen verification capabilities and clearly outline what constitutes a material breach. Iran has twice exceeded the 130 metric-ton threshold for heavy water storage, has conducted several ballistic missile tests and continues to research advanced ballistic missiles. The U.S. and our allies must take action by reporting these destabilizing activities to the Joint Commission for determination on whether these measures are in violation.
Last week, Sen. Cruz joined his colleagues Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) David Perdue (R-Ga.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urging him to decline to certify to Congress that full suspension of sanctions on Iran is vital to U.S. national security or that Iran is in compliance with the terms of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Sen. Cruz introduced companion legislation to U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s (R-Fla.) bipartisan resolution calling for the unconditional release of U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents unjustly detained for political purposes by Iran. Sen. Cruz is an original cosponsor of the bipartisan Countering Iran’s Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017, which passed the U.S. Senate last month.