The United States and Iran are part of multi-national talks to resurrect the Iran nuclear deal that President Barack H. Obama signed, and President Donald J. Trump ended. As part of those negotiations, Iran has demanded that the Biden administration delist the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization and stop referring to Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism.
On Thursday, 1819 News asked Republican U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt if this was sound policy. Britt was at a campaign stop in Pell City, in St. Clair County.
“That is a disaster,” Britt answered. “Iran is the largest sponsor of terror in the world.
“That Joe Biden would even think that is a good idea says enough about him. Donald Trump pulled out of that deal for a reason.”
Britt said that the United States shouldn’t allow Russia to dictate our foreign policy.
“An emboldened Russia is an emboldened Iran, is an emboldened China,” Britt said.
Economic developer Nicole Jones is a member of the Alabama Committee on Foreign Relations.
Dr. Jones told 1819 News on Tuesday, “If you or someone close to you has served in the military, chances are at some point you have met a member of a Gold Star family," she said. Gold Star Families are those who have lost a loved on serving in the U.S. armed forces. "Gold Star families are forever plagued with devastating loss, as their loved one made the ultimate sacrifice as a hero while fighting for our country.”
Jones referenced a recent column by Washington Post contributor Josh Rogin.
Rogin wrote, “Administration officials have been working for more than a year to find a way to reenter the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018. The current sticking point is reportedly over Iranian demands that the Biden team reverse the Trump administration’s 2019 designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a 'foreign terrorist organization' (FTO) under U.S. law. The IRGC stands accused of sponsoring attacks against U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. IRGC-backed fighters are responsible for the deaths of at least 603 Americans in Iraq alone, according to the Defense Department."
Jones said, as a member of the Birmingham Committee on Foreign Relations, she had the opportunity to meet Rogin last year.
“[Rogin is] a Washington DC-based member of the media who writes columns for the Washington Post and other outlets,” Jones said. “I applaud Mr. Rogin for writing this piece. A terrorist is a terrorist, and the IGRC is a terrorist organization. No matter what political party we (personally or collectively) identify with, we need to be honest about this fact and treat it as such - for national security reasons and out of respect for the living and the dead.”
American Gold Star Families are also opposing this move.
Lillie Boddie, Britt, Mo Brooks, Karla Dupriest, Mike Durant, and Jake Schafer are all running for Senate in the May 24 Republican primary. Will Boyd, Brandaun Dean, and Lanny Jackson are running in the Democratic primary.
Incumbent Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) is retiring after 36 years in the Senate.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandon.moseley@1819News.com.
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