U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, delivered remarks on the Senate floor in support of ongoing protests in Iran. Barrasso expressed solidarity with Iranians who have been demonstrating for freedom over the past two weeks in 185 cities across all 31 provinces of the country.
“I rise today to stand with the brave people of Iran, the people who are in their fight for freedom. For the past two weeks, they have taken to the streets in 185 cities in all 31 provinces of Iran. It is unlike anything their country has seen in a generation. Iranians are rejecting the poverty, the repression, and the ruin brought forth by four decades of tyranny. America stands with them. Free people everywhere are watching. From Europe and South America to right here in the United States Senate, we bear witness to the contrast between the Iranian people’s bravery and the Iranian regime’s brutality.”
Barrasso criticized the response of Iranian authorities to these protests: “The regime’s answer to these legitimate protests has been mass murder. Ayatollah Khamenei has unleashed his Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He has unleashed them to massacre his own citizens. Credible reports estimate that thousands – perhaps tens of thousands – are dead. This surpasses the death toll of previous crackdowns throughout the Iranian regime’s history of bloodshed. Tens of thousands of protesters have been thrown into prison. The regime has shut off internet and phone access. It is desperate to hide its crimes. It has failed. The truth has gotten out.”
He also described Iran’s government as a longstanding state sponsor of terrorism and condemned its actions against both foreign and domestic populations: “For decades, Iran’s government has been the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Now, it has turned that terror onto its own people.”
Barrasso praised former President Trump for policies he said weakened Iran: “I applaud President Trump’s leadership on Iran. His strategy has brought Iran to this breaking point. He withdrew from the failed nuclear deal. He destroyed Iran’s nuclear program. He rebuilt the sanctions the previous administration tore down. Maximum Pressure has strangled the regime’s revenue and exposed its weakness.”
“A weak Iran is a safer America,” Barrasso continued, referencing U.S.-Iran tensions over support for militant groups and attacks on American personnel.
He also discussed recent U.S measures against entities trading with or aiding Iran: “President Trump has made it clear where the United States stands. Those who massacre innocent civilians will be held to account.” Barrasso noted an announcement that countries trading with Iran would face tariffs and highlighted seizures of tankers smuggling oil from Venezuela as enforcement actions related to sanctions.
Concluding his remarks, Barrasso stated: “The regime in Iran is weaker today than at any time since their revolution in 1979. Its grip on power is slipping. The world sees its true evil. We must stand with those who risk everything for freedom. When America stands for freedom, our nation and the entire world is safer.”
