Rep. Michael Waltz calls for a strong US response as Iran reportedly increases uranium enrichment at its nuclear facilities.
JERUSALEM - The United States needs to take aggressive action to make Iran worry about its stability in the wake of President Ebrahim Raisi's death, according to Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla.
Waltz, speaking to Fox News' "America’s Newsroom," said the US must "reset the otherwise sticky impression in the minds of the Islamic Republic’s decision-makers about U.S. and Western resolve."
US Must Make Iran Worry About Its Stability Amid Reports of Enrichment Activities
Iran has been expanding its nuclear program in recent weeks, with the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verifying that it has begun feeding uranium into advanced centrifuges at its Natanz enrichment facility.
Waltz said the US must "aggressively enforce oil and petrochemical sanctions and militarily threaten that which Tehran holds dear in the region."
US Must Make Iran Worry About Its Stability Amid Reports of Enrichment Activities
Last week, Israel's former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Iran is "planning a Holocaust for us in the next two years."
Waltz said the US must take these threats seriously and respond accordingly.
US Must Make Iran Worry About Its Stability Amid Reports of Enrichment Activities
The State Department has condemned Iran's nuclear activities, saying they have "no credible peaceful purpose." However, the department has not specified what actions it will take in response.
Waltz said the US must "respond accordingly" to Iran's nuclear moves and not repeat the mistakes of the past.
US Must Make Iran Worry About Its Stability Amid Reports of Enrichment Activities
Iran plans to install more advanced centrifuges at its Natanz and Fordo nuclear sites, which will allow it to enrich uranium faster.
Behnam Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense Democracies, said Iran is continuing its "hourglass strategy, expanding its atomic program while circumscribing international monitoring reports of more advanced centrifuges being installed and operated."
US Must Make Iran Worry About Its Stability Amid Reports of Enrichment Activities
Iran's former top security official, Ali Shamkhani, said Tehran remains committed to nuclear safeguards but will not "bow to pressure."
Waltz said the US must not accept Iran's assurances and must take action to deter it from developing a nuclear weapon.
US Must Make Iran Worry About Its Stability Amid Reports of Enrichment Activities
Iran has been pursuing nuclear enrichment just below weapons-grade levels since the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal. The Trump administration withdrew from the deal in 2018 because it argued that it permitted Tehran to build a nuclear weapon.
Last year, Fox News Digital revealed that Iran continued to work on the construction of an atomic bomb.
The US must take strong action to make Iran worry about its stability and to deter it from developing a nuclear weapon. The Biden administration must not repeat the mistakes of the past and must be prepared to take aggressive measures to protect US interests.
