Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis voiced skepticism about President Trump’s negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, arguing that the theocratic regime can’t be trusted.
The Sunshine State governor warned that “trying to cut a deal with Iran” is “hazardous,” and emphasized that Tehran is “not a traditional country” that can be treated in a “traditional way.”
“I don’t see them as being good faith actors and in any way, shape or form. And the reality is they cannot be allowed to enrich uranium, period. End of story,” DeSantis told conservative radio host Mark Levin.
“They are a militant Islamic government. Their view of mutual destruction with nuclear weapons is actually something they think would be fine because they think they’re all going to go to heaven in paradise if that happens.”
Earlier this year, Trump penned a missive to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei telling the Ayatollah that he wants to see a deal to resolve the nuclear issue “very soon.”
In 2018, Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiated under the Obama administration and hasn’t entirely ruled out the possibility of a military response if Iran obtains a nuke, which experts fear could spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
DeSantis contended that, unlike the Soviet Union, which believed a nuclear war was “not very appealing,” Iran’s leaders feel that such an exchange with Israel could be “doing the will of Allah.”
Notably, back in March, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Iran “is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.”
Trump’s effort to cut a deal with Iran has caused some friction with Israel, which is very dead set on preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“I told [Benjamin Netanyahu] this would be very inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution,” Trump told reporters Wednesday, confirming reports that he warned the Israeli prime minister not to attack Iran during negotiations.
During Trump’s three-country swing through the Middle East earlier this month, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates all expressed opposition to attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities, Axios reported.
All three were concerned their countries would be subject to retaliation from Iran in part because they host US military bases.
DeSantis also credited Israel for being foundational to Western civilization.
“You could trace back the history of Western civilization all the way back to the ancient state of Israel and the birth of both Judaism and Christianity, and we wouldn’t have the United States of America if it didn’t trace back to that,” the Florida governor argued.
