Sen. Cruz: The people of Iran head to the polls to make a false choice

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) today addressed the Senate floor to bring attention to the upcoming elections in Iran. He expressed concerns of the ongoing suppression of the Iranian people by its government and Iran’s efforts to expand its influence in the region, particularly through its pursuit of nuclear capabilities.

“On Friday, the people of Iran head to the polls to make a false choice. They will be forced to select not the candidate of their choice, but from those chosen for them by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who are guaranteed to continue the Supreme Leader’s policies of political and religious oppression and pursuit of nuclear capability at all costs,” Sen. Cruz said.

“Twenty-six years ago this week, President Ronald Reagan stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and challenged the Soviet leader Mikael Gorbachev to tear down the wall that divided the eastern and western halves of the city. Today, I ask all Americans to join me in urging the regime in Iran to tear down the walls of political and religious persecution, to relieve the pain of unnecessary economic hardship, and to renounce the isolation caused by Tehran’s aggressive and belligerent policies.”

Sen. Cruz also reiterated his call for the release of the Iranian American pastor Saeed Abedini who is serving an eight-year sentence in Iran’s brutal Evin prison for professing his faith. Earlier this year, Sen. Cruz sent a letter to Secretary Clinton advocating for Pastor Abedini’s release and to Secretary Kerry thanking him for his statement supporting the pastor.

Background on Iran:

• Iran’s economic outlook is grim:
  • Forty percent of Iranian citizens now live below the poverty line – almost double from 2005.
  • The rial has lost 50 percent of its value.
  • The official rate of inflation is 32 percent – the real rate is considerably higher.
  • The national unemployment rate is 11 percent, and high as 20 percent in certain regions.
• Iran’s political opposition has been effectively silenced:
  • Key 2009 opposition leaders Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi have been imprisoned without charge in their own homes for two years, with locked doors and windows.
  • The list of Presidential candidates has been hand-selected by the Supreme Leader, not by the Iranian people.
• Basic freedoms are under systematic attack:
  • There has been a crackdown on Christians in the lead-up to the election, including the closing of the Central Assemblies of God church in Tehran and the detention of Pastor Robert Asserian.
  • In imitation of China, Iran is attempting to create an internal internet that will block access to international news and social media.
  • Since the 2009 uprising, the Supreme Leader has instituted 4 new entities to restrict internet freedom: the Supreme Council on Cyberspace, the Committee Charged with Determining Offensive Content, the Cyber Police and the Cyber Army.
• Iran is aggressively expanding its influence in the region and beyond:
  • Iran’s proxy army, Hezbollah, is supporting Bashir al Assad’s murderous attacks on his own people in Syria.
  • The UN estimates that 93,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising began in 2011.
  • Iran proceeds undeterred in its pursuit of nuclear weapons capability.

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