Roskam Speaks on Iran’s “Islamic Revolution Victory Day”

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representative Peter J. Roskam took to the House floor to speak out against Iranian aggression on the dawn of “Islamic Revolution Victory Day.”

From a transcript of Congressman Peter Roskam’s speech in Congress today:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the Islamic Republic of Iran – its past and its future. 

February 11^th is just an ordinary day for Americans, but tomorrow, in Iran, it’s anything but ordinary. 

Military parades and massive state-sponsored celebrations fill the streets of Tehran and cities across the Islamic Republic. 

In just a few hours’ time, it will be “Islamic Revolution Victory Day” in Iran. 

The Regime celebrates 37 years since the violent coup that brought the Ayatollah Khomeini to power and transformed Iran into a fundamentalist Islamic theocracy and the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. 

This is a dark period of history, Mr. Speaker. 

Thousands of innocent people were killed as the revolutionaries consolidated power. 

The US Embassy was overrun and more than 50 Americans were held hostage for 444 days. 

The United States has seen six presidents since 1979, reflecting a broad range of leadership styles and governing philosophies. 

The Islamic Republic has been led by two Supreme Leaders – both zealots fanatically committed to the revolutionary ideals being celebrated on the streets of Tehran on this day. 

Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, we are dealing with the same Iran today as we were in 1979. 

The only day being celebrated by some Americans at the moment is Implementation Day, as President Obama’s dangerous nuclear deal has now come and gone. 

The world is much more dangerous because of it. 

Iran, the leading patron of global terrorism, just received a $100 billion check. 

The Mullahs continue to foment violence and chaos across the Middle East and their nuclear infrastructure remains intact. 

The Obama Administration has long argued that we’d only be giving them 50 billion dollars – as if that’s somehow acceptable – but now they’ve conceded the total was, in fact, more than $100 billion. 

We were also told that Iran would moderate its behavior as a result of this capitulation. 

But just in the past few weeks, Iran captured and humiliated American sailors, illegally launched ballistic missiles, fired rockets within 1,500 yards of U.S. ships, flew a drone directly over a U.S. aircraft carrier… and the list goes on and on. 

Iranian Special Forces continue to assist Bashar Al-Assad in his slaughter of innocents in Syria—over 200,000 have been killed so far. 

Iranian-backed militias are likely responsible for kidnapping three American contractors in Iraq. 

It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out what Iran will do with another hundred billion dollars, this windfall it’s about to receive as a result of this bad deal. 

As President Obama and Secretary Kerry have both begrudgingly admitted, it’s nearly certain the Iranians will use this money to sow the seeds of even more death and destruction. 

Think about that – nearly certain that part of this hundred billion dollars will go to terrorism. 

The Islamic Republic is not our friend, Mr. Speaker. 

It’s a dangerous geopolitical foe led by a cult of extremists hell-bent on our annihilation. 

Yet President Obama will do nothing to stem the tide of the Ayatollah’s hegemonic ambitions. 

When faced with an adversary whose theology and eschatology are fundamentally incompatible with peace and world order, the United States, under President Obama’s leadership, chose a path of appeasement. 

And I truly believe President Obama has made perhaps the most dangerous foreign policy blunder of our lifetimes. 

We now face a newly emboldened, cash-rich, radical Islamic regime fully committed to weakening our nation, terrorizing the West, and destroying our way of life. 

Mr. Speaker, it’s now up to the Congress to do everything in our power to keep as much of this money as possible out of the hands of Iran’s terrorist proxies. 

The Congress must move swiftly to strengthen terrorism and human rights-related sanctions against Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. 

The Congress must maintain strict oversight over Iran’s nuclear program, as its infrastructure remains intact. 

Iran’s hostility must be combated, Mr. Speaker, and this body should not abrogate that responsibility, even if our President already has. 

I yield back.