Ted Cruz: ISIS No Reason to Cozy Up to Iran

The rise of a nuclear Iran is the single greatest foreign threat to the United States, and President Barack Obama's is wrong to pursue a path of diplomatic rapprochement as he focuses on the threat of the Islamic State (ISIS), said Sen. Ted Cruz.

In an opinion piece for Politico magazine, the Texan Republican said it would be a mistake to make Iran an ally in the fight against the militant group without increasing the pressure on Iran to halt its nuclear program and release the four American hostages.

"Last week…President Obama gave a major speech to the United Nations General Assembly. He focused on issues such as Ebola, ISIL militants in Iraq, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine—all crises worthy of the attention of the American president and the United Nations. But entirely absent from his remarks was the grim threat posed to the United States and our allies by a nuclear-armed Iran," Cruz wrote.

Specifically, Cruz noted, Obama failed to mention the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, the lies told by the regime about its nuclear program, its intercontinental ballistic missile program, and its state sponsorship of terrorism. There was also no mention of the Americans Iran has captured and refused to release.

Cruz said these omissions suggest that the president may be considering ways Iran can become a potential partner in the numerous global conflicts the U.S. is facing.

"Such a policy would be a historic mistake," Cruz wrote. "As grave as all these dangers are, we should make no mistake: There is no greater threat to U.S. national security—nothing posing a greater risk of murdering millions of Americans—than the threat of a nuclear Iran."

He added that U.S. leaders must avoid the trap of assuming Iran is our friend just because they share the common enemy of ISIS.

"We would do much more to defend the national security interests of the United States by seeking common cause with our real allies in the region than by pursuing some misguided and dangerous attempt at détente with the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.

"We should also insist that if the Iranians want a seat at the negotiating table, they must start by releasing the American citizens unjustly detained in their country. It's time."

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