Sen. Cruz: The U.S. Is Disrupting Venezuelan and Iranian Networks and Will Continue to Be Vigilant
Praises the administration’s reckoning with these immoral regimes
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today issued the following statements praising the Trump administration's targeted sanctions of corrupt officials and financial networks in Venezuela and Iran. These sanctions expose the ways in which these actors have been illicitly enriching themselves, their respective regimes, and their anti-democratic initiatives.
On the sanctioning of members of Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal Court, Sen. Cruz said:
"This week the administration decisively departed from the Obama administration's immoral appeasement of Iran and Venezuela," Sen. Cruz said. "No longer are we merely scolding bad actors; the U.S. government is taking concrete steps through the use of all tools afforded to the administration. This should serve as a reality check and a reckoning to the Venezuelan regime. If the Venezuelan Supreme Court, acting on behalf of President Maduro, attempts to subvert the autonomy of the National Assembly, undermine constitutional order, and neglect its primary role of carrying out justice on behalf of the Venezuelan people, then the U.S. will not hesitate to carry out bold action. This is a signal to the Venezuelan people that the U.S. is taking note; we stand in solidarity with you, and we will continue to be vigilant."
On the sanctioning of Iran, Sen. Cruz said:
"Iran's illicit activity proliferates across the globe, from the Houthis in Yemen through to Hezbollah in Latin America and beyond," Sen. Cruz said. "Targeting the networks which aid this destabilizing behavior is crucial to addressing not only the threat of a nuclear Iran, but also the spread of Iran's malign influence. The administration's decision to sanction senior Iranian officials and Chinese companies who engaged in the finance or development of Iran's ballistic missile program, days before the regime's presidential election, is a clear indication that malevolent activity will not be tolerated. The United States must continue to aggressively enforce sanctions in order to cripple transnational networks of crime and terrorism, and hold accountable the nations which choose to empower them."
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