Sept. 11 marks a solemn date for our nation and a stark reminder that pure evil exists. As I drove to the Capitol last Friday morning, I was struck by the beautiful morning, the clear, blue sky and the chill in the air — it was much like the morning 14 years earlier.
My mind filled with the memories and the fear we all felt because of people driven by hate and a radical Islamic worldview. I felt the gravity of the important vote I was about to take against a nuclear agreement with another group of people led by this exact same hate and ideology.
We will never forget the lives lost in New York, at the Pentagon and on Flight 93, but I think too many of our leaders have forgotten how dire the situation is with Iran.
As they and barbaric terrorists like ISIS wreak havoc throughout the Middle East, it’s clear the threats to our safety are even more severe and those who wish us harm are on the rise. I continue to hear from you regularly that you are deeply concerned for our national security and the future for our children and grandchildren. I share your concern and fear.
Shame on our leaders who won’t listen to us and don’t see the president’s deal with Iran for what it is — an absolute disaster for our country and our world.
For one, it’s an indisputable fact that the Iranian regime is dangerous and can’t be trusted — perhaps the most dangerous regime of our time. This is the country whose citizens and leaders chant in the streets “death to America” and “death to Israel” and condemn America as worse than Satan.
This is the No. 1 sponsor of global terror that is destabilizing the Middle East as it seeks to gain power, funnels money and weapons to terrorists and threatens Israel with annihilation. It’s the very regime that commits countless, ruthless human rights violations against its own people.
If this isn’t enough evidence that we can’t trust Iran, then take into consideration that just last week, Iran’s supreme leader vowed to destroy Israel, tweeting, “After negotiations, in Zionist regime they said they had no more concern about Iran for next 25 years; I’d say: You will not see the next 25 years, God willing there will be nothing as Zionist Regime by next 25 years.”
If someone holding a weapon told me they wanted me dead, I’d believe them. And when the most brutal, anti-American and ruthless regime says they want us, our allies and Israel destroyed, we should take them at their word.
We can’t forget that the goal of negotiations was to reach a deal that stops Iran from enriching uranium and developing nuclear weapons. Tragically, this deal fails. Instead of accepting this deal from Washington, we must demand that we double down on sanctions and cut off Iran’s funding of terror. America must lead from a position of strength, not weakness.
That’s why I voted last week on one bill to force the president to keep sanctions in place, and I also voted against the nuclear agreement. I’ll continue to fight to stop the deal.
My mother told me stories about the drills she learned while she was in school in case of a nuclear attack. She and other children were taught to huddle under their desks, which seems futile — I’m not sure what the desk would do to protect them from a nuclear bomb.
My mother told me she lived in constant fear of a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union. Some of you may remember that anxiety, but my generation has never lived with that fear.
But if we allow the president’s nuclear deal with Iran to pass, it will lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, and our children and grandchildren will have to live their lives in fear of a nuclear attack. As your representative, I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that doesn’t happen.
Rep. Richard Hudson, R-Concord, represents North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District, which includes all of Richmond County.