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Smith opposes resolution, calls Iran "the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism"
Summary
On the House floor, Smith said he opposed a resolution concerning Iran, denouncing Iran’s human-rights record and nuclear ambitions, citing the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and asserting high Iranian missile production; the transcript records his opposition but no vote.
Smith, a lawmaker, told the House he opposed a resolution related to Iran, sharply criticizing Tehran’s conduct and arguing that prior diplomatic deals left the United States and its partners exposed.
"For far too long, Iran has held the world hostage with its nuclear threats, unbridled violence and hate," Smith said, adding that Iran engages in "the pervasive use of torture and rape and Nazi-like anti-Semitism" and calling Iran "the world's worst state sponsor of terrorism." He tied those allegations to his stated opposition: "I'm against this resolution."
Smith criticized the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying it included "egregious concessions" and removed a treaty obligation that, he said, would have ended Iran's missile program. He told colleagues the agreement—the United States and other P5+1 partners—included a sunset date of Oct. 18, 2025, and argued that deadline created an incentive for Iran to "wait us out." "Did anyone think that in 2015 that Iran would somehow matriculate from a brutal dictatorship to a democracy in those ten years?" he asked.
Smith also asserted that Iran "mass produced" missiles and stated, "It is estimated that Iran produces 100 missiles each and every month," saying those weapons are striking military and civilian targets in the region. He framed those claims alongside examples of past attacks: "There was a young man in the Marines from my district who was killed in that brutal act of war by the Iranian dictatorship," Smith said, using the casualty to underscore his position.
The transcript records Smith praising the Trump administration's posture toward Iran, saying it "has refused... to have the United States bullied by Iran." He closed by offering a prayer for U.S. service members and "the IDF soldiers who are fighting this tyrannical Iranian regime." (IDF refers to the Israel Defense Forces.)
The remarks appear in the transcript as floor debate and include multiple assertions by Smith about Iran's conduct and capabilities; the transcript records his opposition but does not record a vote on the resolution or further procedural action.
