Ted Cruz: Obama Administration will become the world's leading financier of radical Islamic terrorism

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) spoke at the Stop the Iran Deal rally hosted and organized by Tea Party Patriots. Leading efforts to halt the Iran Nuclear Deal, Sen. Cruz underscored the dangers of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, which would be funded and accelerated by this catastrophic deal.

“Number one, the Obama Administration will become, quite literally, the world's leading financier of radical Islamic terrorism. If it goes through over 100 billion dollars will flow directly to Iran to the Ayatollah Khamenei and billions of those dollars will go directly to Hamas, to Hezbollah, to the Houthis, to radical Islamic terrorists across the world and those jihadists will use those dollars to murder Americans, to murder Israelis, to murder Europeans.

“The second consequence of this deal is that it abandons four American hostages in an Iranian hellhole, including Pastor Said Abedini, an American citizen, a Christian pastor sentenced to eight years in prison for the crime of preaching the gospel; including former Marine Amir Hekmati; including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian; and including Bob Levinson. It is a disgrace for this Administration to abandon Americans in Iranian hellholes.

“But the third consequence of this deal going through if it does, is that it will facilitate and accelerate the nation of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. There is no greater threat to the safety and security of America, there is no greater threat to the safety and security of Israel, than a nuclear Iran. I agree with Prime Minister Netanyahu that a nuclear Iran poses an existential threat to the nation of Israel. And let me be clear, when he says existential, he doesn't mean a bunch of Frenchmen in black berets chain-smoking - he means literally going to the very existence of Israel.

“When we talk about terrorism, it’s worth remembering that if this deal goes through, we know to an absolute certainty people will die. Americans will die, Israelis will die, Europeans will die. Osama bin Laden never had $100 billion. He was filled with bilious hatred, and using rudimentary tools, murdered nearly 3,000 Americans on September 11, 2001. We’re now talking about giving the Ayatollah Khamenei--a theocratic homicidal maniac who hates America every bit as much as bin Laden did--giving him $100 billion to carry out his murderous plans.

“I want to ask every Senate Democrat - how will you look in the eyes of every mother, or father, or sons or daughters, of those who are murdered by jihadists, those Americans who are blown up, those Americans who are shot, those Americans who are killed, those Israelis who are murdered? And let me be clear - if you vote to send billions of dollars to jihadists who have pledged to murder Americans, then you bear direct responsibility for the murders carried out with the dollars you have given them. You cannot wash your hands of that blood," Cruz said.