OMM Redaksiyası
Iran is misreading the US political system if it believes the November midterm elections could restrict President Donald Trump’s ability to act against Tehran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday, according to the source report.
“I think the Iranians are under this illusion that Democrats are going to win in November, and the president will no longer be able to do things against them,” Rubio told reporters in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Rubio says Trump retains broad national security powers
Rubio said Tehran appeared not to understand the separation of powers in the United States. While Congress has an important role, he said, the president retains extensive authority over national security matters.
“When it comes to the national security of our country, when it comes to the imposition of both sanctions and the use of military force, the president has extraordinary powers,” Rubio said, referring to Trump’s constitutional role as commander-in-chief.
Trump predicts deal after midterm elections
His comments came a day after Trump said he expected Washington to reach an agreement with Iran following the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
“I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election because it doesn’t make sense for them not to,” Trump told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. He said Iranian leaders were waiting to see how his Republican Party performed in the vote.
Rubio said the election result would not alter Trump’s approach, describing Iran’s nuclear programme as a national security issue rather than a matter of domestic politics.
“For him, the Iranian issue is not a political issue,” Rubio said.
US says preventing nuclear weapon remains a priority
Rubio argued that US presidents and most countries had agreed for nearly five decades that Iran must not acquire a nuclear weapon, but had repeatedly failed to take sufficient action.
Trump, Rubio said, was prepared to act despite the associated costs because the consequences of failing to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran would be “substantially higher”, particularly for future generations.
